New girl in town
by Aurrawings
Summary: Samantha is the new girl, and though she finds it a bit hard to fit in in Jasper Nevada, her new friends are more than enough to make up for it. I realize it is a generic title...hope you like it anyway. I'm open to anyone's ideas and i will credit you fully.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Moving to a new school is never easy, especially when it's more than halfway across the country. My parents, both in the medical field, had been transferred from our city in Vermont all the way out to Arizona. Honestly, I didn't really care other than the heat. I went through the motions of my life and basically raised myself because my parents were always working.

I was daydreaming after school one Friday, sitting on the step outside the school as kids filtered past me to the buses and parent's cars. I had my own ride, but I didn't really want to leave yet. Almost last out were two boys, a kid about twelve that was wearing glasses and sported a spiky haircut and a teen with dark hair who I thought was about sixteen like me. I thought I had caught their names before, I was learning about people here quickly, though I wasn't much of a social person. My parents had cured me of that; they had signed me up for almost every extracurricular activity when we lived back in Vermont when I was younger so that they didn't have to take a break from their work life.

"Hey Jack, do you wanna go hang out tonight?" the smaller boy said, looking up at Jack.

"Sorry Raf, gotta work tonight. Maybe this weekend though, I'm off then." Jack said to Raf. Raf shrugged, waving goodbye as Jack got on a motorcycle that was parked along the sidewalk; actually, it looked a lot like mine, but a different color. Jack waved back, putting on a helmet that had been hanging off the handlebar before driving away. Soon after Jack left, a black and yellow muscle car pulled up and beeped its horn. Raf shouldered his backpack, glancing back at me.

"Hey, you're the new girl, right? I'm Raf." he said, giving the waiting car a 'one minute' gesture.

"Yeah, my name's Samantha, call me Sam." I said. Raf glanced at the car again, then back at me.

"I've gotta go, do you have a ride?" he asked. I nodded, pointing to my speed motorcycle parked in the lot. I had been able to pick my own car for my sweet 16, but I thought cars were too claustrophobic, I chose a bike instead. It was jet black, and a neon green stripe ran down the left side of it. It had become my best friend, since I didn't have any friends of my own.

"Okay then, I guess I'll see you next Monday. Bye." Raf said, jogging to the car and hopping in. The car sped off, the engine making an impressive roar, and I smiled to myself. Raf was likeable, especially since he was a kid, but I'd seen him in his spare time on a laptop. I think that kid could hack into anything if he had to. I sat on the step for a while, not really wanting to go home and be bored by myself. There were still a few cars in the lot, and a big green truck was parked by the curb.

A few minutes later, a girl who looked about fourteen crept out of the door, looking cautiously behind her. Her side swept bangs were dyed pink and she had her hair put up in what looked like spiky pom-poms on each side of her head. The tips of these were pink as well and the rest of her hair was held in a sort of reverse ponytail with the fastener at the end of her hair instead of at the top. She turned to run down the steps, not seeing me, and tripped over my backpack I had at the top of the stairs. I turned, breaking her fall, and she got up quickly and dusted herself off.

"Sorry about that, your name is Miko, right?" I apologized. The girl nodded, glancing back at the door again.

"Yeah, anyway, I have to go. I just snuck out of detention so... yeah, bye bye. See you Monday!" Miko called as she ran to the truck that was parked on the curb. As she hopped in, she shouted back to me.

"Your name is Samantha, right?" she said. I nodded, calling back as she shut the door.

"Yeah, just Sam though." I called. The truck sped off, leaving me alone again. I grabbed my backpack, unzipping it and shuffling around before I withdrew a battered old spiral notebook. I opened it to the back page, where I had written a list and annotated it in case anyone somehow got a hold of it. The page was labeled 'Things I can do because of my negligent parents.' Remember how I took a lot of extra classes? Yeah.

1. Archer- can hit bull's-eye easily from 100 yards

2. Judo- very good, could kick someone's butt if I had to

3. Medic- studied parent's old textbooks in spare time, have memorized countless treatments for injuries, complete human anatomy

4. Mechanic- parents too busy to take bike to shop, have to fix it myself

5. Straight A's- alone time means nothing to do but study

This was an example of my list, and I knew I could probably add to it. I sighed, snapping my notebook shut and sticking it back in my backpack. I shouldered my bag, heading to my bike that was all alone now in the parking lot. The sun was still blazing overhead and I put on my helmet that was hanging off my bike's handlebar. I rested a hand on the seat for a moment, it was blazing hot from sitting in the sun all day, but I'd just have to deal. I fired up my bike, listening contently to the engine when I revved it.

My parents didn't know, but I had installed a racing engine on my bike and turbo charged it as well. I always obeyed the speed limit back home and here as well when I was in town. But there were miles and miles of flat, open roads around the desert that I could just let loose and floor it. I mounted my bike, adjusting my helmet and easing onto the hot seat of my motorcycle. I made a face, it was almost burning the insides of my thighs, but I just wanted to go for a ride, a long one.

Taking out my phone, I sent my mom and dad both a quick text that I was going for a drive and didn't know when I'd be back. Mom sent back quickly; 'okay, be home by eleven though. Love you.' I tucked my phone in my backpack and eased my bike out onto the road.

Like I said, there were endless stretches of open road that hardly anyone used, and I spent hours taking my bike flat out. I had been basically going straight for a few miles at top speed before turning and heading back to the town. I experimented with different roads, always slowing down and heeding traffic when I was in the small town that contained my school, a few houses, and some fast-food joints. My bike was starting to stutter, and I frowned to see that the gas gauge was on 'E.'

I filled up at the town's only gas station, by now it was dark and I thought about going home, but when I checked my phone it said it was only 9 p.m. I put my helmet back on and flicked on the headlights on my bike as I left.

I got the feeling I was being followed just as I pulled out onto the open road, and I glanced back to see headlights. I intended to let him pass me and I'd go to a different stretch of road to have fun, and I slowed down to let him pass. I turned to glance at the car as I was still heading down the road, and right as I did, I was rammed from behind.

My bike skittered before sliding out from under me. I hit the dusty pavement and skidded, my shoulder and the side of my leg dragged painfully across the asphalt. The car rolled up, stopping smoothly before revving its engine. It was very sporty, mostly red, and had gold rims. The windows were blacked out so I couldn't see inside, but I shouted at the car as I got to my feet and started to walk over to my damaged bike.

"What the heck are you thinking? You ran me off the road you jerk!" I said angrily. From here, I could barely see my bike because the car's headlights weren't pointing at it and were aimed straight at me. I could see that a lot of the body of my motorcycle was crushed and it had a lot of scratches in the paint. I didn't appreciate this guy trashing my ride...

"Hello? Are you going to answer me or not?" I said. The car's engine roared and it lurched towards me, nudging me and knocking me to the ground. I couldn't see who was talking, but someone spoke back and was making no sense to me.

"It looks like Arcee found herself a new friend." a male voice said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting to my feet again. The car was silent for a minute, replying to me just as he sped forward. Adding insult to injury, the driver's side door snapped open and slammed into me as he hit the throttle...

"They call me Knockout." the car replied as soon as the door hit me. I lost my feet once again, stars dancing in my eyes as the edges of my vision got blurry. I automatically assessed damage in my mind as I tried to regain my senses.

_Abrased shoulder and leg, possible bruised hip, possible concussion..._ I thought what I saw next was because of my concussion, but the car suddenly transformed into about a 30 ft tall robot before it leaned down to me. I faintly saw it glance at my bike, then back to me.

"Oh, scrap... Megatron will have my head..." the robot, who I assumed was named Knockout for a reason, turned back into a car and tore off right as I lost consciousness.

...

I thought I had been out for a long time, and the next thing I knew I felt someone shaking my shoulder before quiet conversation reached my ears.

"Should we take her to a hospital, Jack?" a female voice said. Jack replied, and I tried to gain enough strength to open my eyes. It was now dark, and for some reason the first thing I thought was that I hoped I didn't miss my curfew.

"I don't know, she's out cold but she doesn't look hurt..." Jack said. I cracked my eyes open and groaned with pain and effort as I sat up. I looked around briefly for the source of the female voice, a hand to my throbbing head. Making an assumption, I just said what was on my mind.

"Did your motorcycle just talk?" I said. Jack gave me a look of 'you must be crazy' before helping me up.

"Of course not, you must have a concussion, you've been hearing things." Jack said. I gave him my 'you aren't telling the truth' look and spoke.

"Okay then, do you know of a 30 ft tall robot that turns into a car that's named Knockout?" I asked. Jack's face dropped, and he glanced back at his motorcycle.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

"Totally." I said, rubbing my aching skull where it must have struck the ground.

"This is serious; you can't tell another person in the world." Jack said.

"Alright, I get it, my lips are sealed." I said. Jack glanced back at his bike, nodding.

"Okay, show her, Arcee." Jack said. With that, the bike instantly transformed into a giant robot, though she was female and much shorter than Knockout.

"Jack, do you know her?" Arcee asked. Jack looked at me, then nodded.

"Yeah, you're the new girl, Samantha, right?" he said. I nodded in return.

"Call me Sam... Oh crud, my phone!" I blurted, changing the subject as Arcee and Jack looked at me, confused. I dug through my backpack, and glancing at the time I saw it was only a quarter after ten. Relieved, I turned back to the pair.

"I think you should come with us, there's something you really ought to see." Jack said. Arcee nudged him.

"Jack, are you crazy? What will Optimus say?" Arcee slipped up. Jack gave her a considering look.

"There's more of you? Wait, are you good guys or bad guys?" I said, wary. Jack just glanced at Arcee.

"We're definitely the good guys. Alright, let's go, I don't think you're safe right now." Arcee answered. I thought a moment, then took my phone and started to send a quick text to my mom. I told her I'd made a friend and I was going to miss curfew, but I was okay. Mom quickly sent back that it would be fine. I put my phone away and Arcee transformed back into a motorcycle. Jack called his own mom and I could hear their conversation.

"Hey mom, I'm going to be coming home late just for tonight...Yes I know...The new girl at school, Sam, got run off the road. It was Knockout...Yeah I think she's okay, I'm gonna take her to the base, she's not safe." Jack was saying, pausing to let his mom speak. He turned to me briefly, covering his phone.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I nodded.

"I think so, just a bit banged up. I think I hit my head though." I said. Jack relayed this to his mom, explaining as he did so.

"Before you ask, my mom knows all about the Autobots, and she's a nurse so... What? Yeah, Arcee's with me...Okay, I will. See you, bye mom." Jack said, snapping his phone shut and tucking it in his pocket. Arcee revved her engine as she waited. Jak turned to me, glancing at my bike as he did.

"I'm not sure if your bike will even run, but my mom said to ride with Arcee. If you hit your head, she said it's not a good idea to be driving." Jack said. I nodded, agreeing, and Jack put on a helmet and got on Arcee. I retrieved my own helmet, regretfully leaving my speed bike, and gingerly sat behind Jak. I was actually a bit embarrassed, I hardly even knew Jack but here I was on a motorcycle, or rather a robot named Arcee, with him.

Arcee rode a lot like my own bike did, and she was almost as fast. I thought we were just driving randomly out into the desert, but I heard Arcee talking I thought to herself. I realized she must have some sort of commlink to somewhere else.

"Arcee to Ratchet, I need a ground bridge on my position, Jack and I found a civilian that was run down. She's alright, but it was Knockout. He transformed in front of her... Thanks Ratch." Arcee said. Suddenly, a greenish, glowing portal opened right in front of us and Arcee didn't hesitate to go through. I had a sense of vertigo when we passed through, and the next thing I knew, Arcee shot into a large open room. She braked to a stop, and Jack got off after I did. I pulled my helmet off and my jaw dropped.

Standing in various spots around the room were more of the giant robots. I looked from bot to bot, sort of in a state of shock. Even more surprising, I saw Miko running down some steps from a platform, with Raf not far behind. I looked at Jack, then back at the two kids.

"Wait, they're in on it too? How many people know about you guys?" I stammered. The tallest robot, a blue and red one who I assumed was the leader, stepped forward and spoke.

"Jack's mother, special agent Fowler, a few military operatives, and the ones you see standing here are aware of us. An organization called MECH is also currently on the trail of Autobots and Decepticons alike." the tall robot said. I waved my hand, already starting to get a headache from the sensory overload and knock to the head.

"Wait, what's a Decepticon? I'm assuming you're Autobots...but what exactly are you? And what are your names because I've already met Arcee but I'm actually very intrigued to learn more about you right now." I said. An orange-ish and white bot spoke up.

"Decepticons are the bad intentioned Cybertronian race, allied under their leader Megatron. We on the other hand are autonomous mechanical beings from the planet Cybertron. Autobots for short. My name is Ratchet by the way." Ratchet said. The others introduced themselves, including the leader, who was called Optimus Prime, and the two other Autobots who were there. I looked closely at them, recognition registering as I realized what vehicles they transformed into.

"You two, I've seen you before...You guys pick up Miko and Raf from school every day, don't you?" I asked. Raf got my attention, introducing both of them as he pointed at them in turn.

"That's Bulkhead, he's with Miko, and Bumblebee's with me." Raf said, pointing to the big, green robot before pointing at a yellow and black Autobot that looked younger than the rest of them. Bumblebee made a low beeping sound, and I tilted my head curiously.

"What did he just say? Can't he talk?" I asked. Raf looked at me.

"He said hello, and no he can't talk, at least in English. His voice box got torn out by Megatron." Raf said. I immediately felt bad.

"Oh...sorry. Wait, how can you understand him?" I asked. Raf simply shrugged, and Optimus got my attention.

"I understand you encountered a Decepticon earlier tonight, Knockout, correct?" Optimus said.

"Yeah, I think that's what his name was, I think he confused my bike for Arcee, they do look identical except for the color, he ran me off the road and said something about Arcee having a new friend... When I tried to get up he hit me with his door and transformed right in front of me, I thought it was just because I had a concussion, but now I see that's not the case." I said. Optimus thought a moment, turning to the rest of his team.

"I need us all to keep a close watch on..." Optimus was saying, glancing back at me, "What is your name?" he asked.

"Samantha, just call me Sam." I replied. Optimus nodded.

"We'll need to keep our eyes on Sam, I want at least one Autobot on guard for her at all times." Optimus said. I interrupted.

"Why are you having them watch me? I'm okay, I think, and now that Knockout knows I'm not with Arcee he'll leave me alone, right?" I said. Arcee spoke up from behind me.

"You're not safe, for one. The fact you're even alive right now is surprising, it's not like a 'Con to show mercy. I'm surprised Knockout didn't kill you right there, but now that you know about our kind the Decepticons will probably try to finish the job. The less people that get involved in our affairs the better." Arcee said. I thought on it a moment, then agreed.

"Alright, but I should be getting home if that's okay, I need to fix my bike and even though my parents aren't home a lot they still care about me." I said. Optimus agreed with me.

"Very well. Bumblebee, escort the children home, it is late." Optimus said. Bumblebee emitted a series of beeps and buzzing noises before transforming and revving his engine. Raf hopped immediately into the passenger seat, and Jak and Miko climbed into the back, leaving one seat open for me next to Miko who was in the middle. I got in, shutting the door behind me, and Bumblebee took off out of the base. Thankfully, Knockout had wrecked me not too far from my house, only about a mile, and I asked to be let out by my totaled bike.

I looked at the wreckage sadly, and pulled the object of my care upright, small pieces of metal falling off of it. I gathered what I could and started to walk my bike back home. Miko stuck her head out the window and called at me.

"Hey, come hang with us tomorrow, I could use another girl friend and you need to learn more about these guys! What do you say?" Miko said. I glanced back.

"Uh, sure, but I don't think I'll have my bike fixed by then..." I said. She grinned.

"That's okay, I'll bring Bulkhead to come get you. See you at eight tomorrow!" Miko said, tucking her head inside and Bee sped off. Man, that girl was annoying...

...

I walked my injured bike into the garage and leaned it against the wall since the stand was broken. The damage to it was fixable, but it was going to take me a while. I walked into the house through the garage door, shutting it quietly behind me. My parents were home by now, and I tried to hide the scrapes and the knot on my head as I walked past the living room. Mom stood up quickly, blocking my path as she went into 'mother hen' mode. With her being a nurse, it was even worse.

"Oh my god, Samantha what happened?!" she said. I pushed her away.

"Mom, I'm fine, some jerk just ran me off the road. My bike got the worst of it..." I said, glancing towards the garage. Mom grabbed me anyway, hauling me into the kitchen and forcing me to sit on the counter. I rolled my eyes, groaning as she tried to doctor me.

"Mom, Mom...Mom! I'm okay, stop freaking out!" I said, interrupting her as she babbled about how I could have been killed and I was so lucky and blah blah blah. She ignored me, dumping peroxide onto a washrag and dabbing it on my scraped arm and leg. I sat, slumped, and gave up.

"Did you get hurt anywhere else?" Mom asked, looking me over. I wanted out of there, and trying to pull away I said a quick 'no.' Mom pulled my chin up, making me look her in the eye.

"Don't lie to me, Sam." she said. I sighed.

"I hit my head too." I said. She flipped again, and made me do a whole bunch of crap to make sure I didn't have a concussion. Satisfied, she finally let me go to bed, and I flopped, beat, onto my mattress and passed out.

...

Over the weekend, as well as the weeks that followed, I was suckered into going to the Autobot's base, where I did my best to learn all I could about them. I started to form ties with the Autobots as well as become good friends with Jack, Miko, and Raf. Miko soundly beat me in about every video game she had at the base, and who knew that Bumblebee could play either?

One day after school, soon after my seventeenth birthday, I had ridden my bike back to my house (I had eventually fixed it) to find a squad car parked out front, and an officer was knocking at my door. I pulled up, shutting off the engine to my motorcycle and pulling off my helmet. The officer turned, sympathy immediately crossing his face. I knew that look all too well, something was wrong.

"Something happened to my parents, didn't it?" I said. The officer took off his hat, looking me in the eye.

"Their car stalled in the middle of an intersection, the semi couldn't stop in time..." the officer said. I already knew they were dead, and I dropped to my knees in grief, clutching my helmet as I tried to come up with a way to cope. The officer laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. Since you're seventeen, you don't have to go with Child Services if you have a place to stay..." the officer trailed off. I tried to hold in the tears I knew were inevitable, then shook my head and got to my feet.

"Yeah, I've got somewhere to go. Goodbye." I said curtly, pulling my helmet back on and starting my bike before whipping around and speeding down the road and into the desert. The tears clouding my vision made it dangerous to drive, but I rammed the accelerator to full throttle and headed for the Autobot's base. I couldn't seem to be going fast enough to focus solely on the road, so I flipped on the turbo on my bike, and my motorcycle roared down the road even faster. The wind whipped my hair that wasn't tucked into my helmet, and I found myself already at the large mesa that marked the Autobot's base.

I smashed on the brakes right as I came into the central hangar, Optimus and Ratchet were the only ones there, probably because the others were being picked up from school. Practically just letting the momentum of my bike throw me forward, I let it skid a few feet and automatically ran up the stairs to the platform where the kids and I would hang out. I yanked off my helmet, dropping it with a thud onto the metal floor and I simply collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, burying my face in my hands as I couldn't stop the sobs from coming even if I wanted to.

Ratchet and Optimus glanced at each other when I came in, totally confused at why I was so upset, and Optimus asked me gently.

"Sam, what is wrong?" he asked. I looked up, pulling myself together for a moment in order to coherently tell him, though my words still were shaky.

"My parents just...got killed in a car crash...earlier today. Their car...stalled...and a semi hit...them. I didn't know...where else to go...but here." I choked. Optimus gave me a look of sympathy, and spoke.

"I am glad you trust us enough to come here if you needed us, and no doubt this is hard for you..." Optimus was cut off as Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee with Jack pulled in. Miko and Raf got out of their guardian's car modes before they transformed, though it was Jack who noticed I was there first. I was curled in a tight ball now, my forehead resting on my knees and I tried to quiet the small sounds of my grief.

Jack quickly set my bike upright, then went up the stairs quickly, Miko and Raf trailing him. He knelt by me, comfortingly putting his hand on my shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Raf asked. Optimus answered for me, thank god, because I looked like a wreck.

"Her family was killed in an accident earlier today..." he said, which was answer enough because then the sympathy bug bit just about everyone. Miko sat next to me, getting my attention.

"Just go ahead and cry, it doesn't bother any of us here. Wait, do you have to go with the Child's Protection whatever? Cuz that would stink." Miko said, trying to brighten my mood. I wiped my face the best I could, and shook my head. I composed myself better than I had before, trying to shake off my grief, though losing your parents isn't exactly something that's easy.

"I'm seventeen now, I don't have to go with anyone, but I can't stay at my old house." I said. Miko tossed out an idea, which actually turned out to be what happened.

"Why don't you just move in here?" she said. Optimus didn't have to think about it long, and with their consent I moved in with the Autobots. I didn't take anything from home to remind me of my parents, just everything out of my closet and a pillow and blanket so I could sleep on the couch at the base.

Chapter 2

I continued going to school, usually riding there and back with whoever asked first if I wanted a ride, though sometimes I just took my bike. Weekends were good though, I got to hang out with my new friends, human and otherwise, and I learned even more about the Cybertronian world.

Something else, I found Ratchet is really good to ask about science and math questions. I had a Trigonometry question that had taken me an hour and I was stumped, Ratchet took one look at it and rattled off the answer without batting an optic. I just gaped at him, writing down the answer before I forgot it.

Thankfully, the end of the school year rolled around and I could spend my entire time with the Autobots, as well as my new human friends.

...

A man's image popped up on the screen in the hangar and spoke loudly.

"Prime! We've got a situation, the cons found a boatload of energon in a crater in Argentina, go stop them before they can take it and use it to their advantage!" the man said. Optimus walked up to the screen.

"Agent Fowler, I understand speed is of the essence, what are the Decepticons' present coordinates?" he said. Something flashed up on the screen and Optimus turned to his team.

"Autobots, transform and roll out!" Optimus called, turning into a semi and heading through the ground bridge that Ratchet had just opened. I was jerked out of my confusion by Miko grabbing my arm and dragging me to the bridge.

"Come on! You get to watch your first smackdown!" Miko said, running with me in tow, leaving Raf and Jack behind. We crossed out of the ground bridge, which still made me nauseous, and ran to the lip of a crater and peered down.

Shots were firing like crazy, and every once in a while I saw a large blue crystal get shattered as a shot hit it or a bot was thrown at it. Miko leaned over the edge of the crater, snapping pictures with her phone as I tried to call her back. I suppose it was extremely good luck on her part or extremely bad on mine what happened next. I would guess that a sizeable chunk of the energon crystals had been blown up, that would explain how the shards got over the top of the crater...

As soon as the explosion happened, Miko lost her balance and fell down the inside slope of the crater, sliding a few yards before she stopped herself and found cover. I, on the other hand, was not very lucky. The next thing I knew after the explosion, a sharp, stabbing pain struck between my ribs on my left side. I looked down, immediately going into shock, because a large blue shard was wedged between my ribs, directly into my heart from what I could tell. I only wondered how I wasn't dead, but every throb of my heart tore a fresh pain through my chest and I already knew I had gone into deep shock. My mind kept losing focus, though I stayed conscious, and I staggered before dropping to my knees and rolling over onto my back.

Miko climbed laboriously back over the edge of the crater, and nearly had a coronary when she saw me. She looked scared, guilty, and grossed out all at the same time. Tears already streaming down her face, she flipped open her phone and dialed a number.

"Ratchet! Call back the troops now, Sam's hurt!" she practically yelled into the phone. I could hear Ratchet on the other end.

"What? How did she get injured?" Ratchet said.

"I dragged her through the ground bridge, it's not her fault... She's got a freaking energon shard stuck in her chest, no she's not okay!" Miko said after Ratchet must have asked if I was alright. I grimaced, and I heard Ratchet say he'd tell Optimus. Miko shut her phone, looking at me helplessly. More firing erupted from the crater before a mess of jets rose into the sky and took off. The Autobots quickly appeared over the lip of the crater, almost in disbelief when they saw me.

Arcee picked me up carefully as the ground bridge opened. I grimaced when she did and she walked carefully through the space bridge. On the other side, Ratchet was already waiting and went quickly to his lab, having Arcee lay me on a table carefully. I saw Jack on the phone for a minute, then he snapped it shut.

"I called my mom, she'll be here soon if you open a ground bridge." Jack said. Ratchet had Bumblebee open a bridge as he worked the best as he could to try and help me. All he pretty much did was hook me up to a heart monitor as he waited for Jack's mom.

"Curse my ignorance, I still know so little about human medicine..." Ratchet muttered as he scanned me, taken aback as well as how I was still alive.

"How... how is this even possible? The shard is directly in your heart, yet you're still alive..." Ratchet was cut off as a white car roared into the hangar and Jack's mom got out quickly, grabbing a large bag and walking quickly to me. She glanced at the energon shard stuck in my chest before glancing at Ratchet and setting her bag on the table next to me.

"Please tell me that missed her heart..." Jack's mom said. She was still wearing the scrubs from her work, by the symbol on her nametag that read 'June Darby' I could tell she worked in the same hospital that both my parents had. Ratchet glanced at June, not saying anything.

"So it didn't... how is she still alive?" June said. Ratchet looked at the scans shaking his head.

"I have absolutely no idea, but she needs your help, Nurse Darby." June looked at me, unsure of how to start, then turned and started giving orders.

"I need to get that shard out of her, you said yourself energon was devastating to humans. Someone take the kids out of here, they don't need to see this." June said. Bulkhead took Jak, Miko, and Raf to a different part of the base and June snapped open her bag, rummaging in it quickly. She took my pulse, frowning when she did, and she pulled a small light from her bag and shone it in my eyes back and forth.

"She's in shock, that's no surprise... What's her name? How did she find out about you guys?" June said.

"Her name is Sam, I believe you heard of her from Jack, she's the one that was run off the road by Knockout a few weeks ago." Ratchet answered. June nodded, going back to work quickly. She pulled a vial of something and a syringe out of her bag, quickly filling it, explaining to Ratchet as she did.

"It's a sedative; I'm sure she's already in a lot of pain and she's not going to want to be awake when I get that shard out." June said, finding a vein on my arm and sliding the needle into my skin before pushing down on the plunger slowly. It was only a few seconds before I blacked out.

...

I woke sometime later, everyone was standing around me, and I could tell Miko had been crying. There was a bandage taped to the left side of my chest and man did I ache. June was sitting exhausted on the stairs, and I struggled to sit up. Jack held me back, calling for his mom. June got up quickly, coming over to the table where I lay.

"Thanks for saving my life." I said groggily since I was still trying to shake off the sedative. June was silent a moment, then looked at Ratchet. Ratchet nodded, pulling up something on a screen and speaking before stepping aside.

"There's something, Sam... I've never seen this before, or have any idea how it is possible, but... you are becoming Cybertronian." Ratchet said. The kids' mouths fell open, evidently they hadn't heard, and I looked at Ratchet like he was insane.

"As far as I can tell, it was because the energon shard directly pierced your heart, making it start to pump energon instead of blood. I don't know how either, but you no longer have a heart, but a Spark like the rest of us Autobots. In order to sustain itself though, a Spark needs a mechanical body, so it has begun making one." Ratchet said, showing me a scan of my body. He was right that energon now flowed through me, and I could see my heart was now indeed a Spark like all Cybertronians. There were also what appeared to be tendrils of metal spreading outward from my now Spark.

I gaped at the scan, unable to find words, and June went about taking my vitals, though she sort of slumped and looked up at Ratchet.

"Are you sure you aren't the one to be doing this now? She's becoming one of you, I don't know anything about your medicine..." June said. Ratchet shook his head.

"She's still mostly human right now, I think it best she be in your care, Nurse Darby." Ratchet said. June took my pulse and checked the bandage over my chest, satisfied, she stepped back. She spoke to Ratchet as well and myself simultaneously.

"She'll be okay now, just make sure she rests a lot and check to see how the stitches are healing, I'll be back to take them out when she's healed." June said. Ratchet, nodded, but looked a bit unsure about caring for me.

"Do not worry old friend, she is in good hands." Optimus said, looking at Ratchet. June hugged Jack goodbye, waving at the kids as she got in her car and went out of the base through the exit instead of the ground bridge. Miko stood by the table where I lay, thinking something over.

"I'm sorry Sam, if I hadn't taken you off base you wouldn't have gotten hurt... On the bright side, you're turning into an Autobot!" she chirped. I laughed shortly, Miko never hesitated to speak what was on her mind, which in this case was helping cheer me up.

"It's not your fault, you're lucky you fell in the crater when you did, or you'd be on a table like this too." I said. I gathered the nerve, then sat up with a grimace. Arcee took a step towards me.

"Sam, don't, you need to rest." Arcee said. I gave her a look.

"I'm okay, just a little sore. Besides, I think the fact that my parents were both in the medical field makes me hate anytime I have to do anything relating to a hospital." I said. My chest throbbed, but I ignored it and swung my legs over the side of the table. Ratchet tried to dissuade me as well, but I stepped off the table and stood still a moment, gaining my balance before taking a few experimental steps.

I glanced at Miko, trying to lighten the mood.

"Wanna go beat me in a video game?" I asked. Miko lit up, dashing up the stairs to the platform they had turned into a makeshift hangout area a while ago. I followed her, much slower, and eased onto the couch beside Miko. She tossed a controller at me, and I instinctively leaned quickly to catch it. A brief flash of pain seared my chest, but I didn't show it and settled back into the couch.

Let's just say that after about five races I gave up. Miko had given me the best car in the entire game, but she still beat me easily. I glanced over at Raf, who had sat next to me and now was tapping on his laptop that never seemed to leave his side.

"Hey Raf, wanna play? I'm done." I said. He looked up, glanced back down at his computer and closed whatever he was doing. I handed him the controller, which he took tentatively.

"Sure, Sam." Raf said. I glanced at his laptop, which was now closed and sitting on the floor.

"What were you just doing on your computer?" I asked. Raf glanced at me just as a race was starting, talking as he turned his car expertly through corners I had previously wiped out on.

"I hacked the school's database and was changing Miko's grades. She was failing Algebra." Raf said. Miko piped up from her spot beside me.

"Key word: was." Miko said. I laughed shortly, though it hurt when I did.

...

Eventually, Optimus made the kids go home, though it was a Saturday night. Ratchet used the scanner on his arm to see how I was doing before I went to bed.

"Your Cybertronian biology is spreading quickly, though your new Spark seems to be strong. Just-" Ratchet was saying before I interrupted him.

"Let me guess, 'take it easy for a while.' I know doc, my parents were both in the medical field, remember?" I said. Ratchet sighed, going back to his work as I climbed the stairs back up to the platform. I got Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee's attention.

"Night, guys." I said. I got a simultaneous 'good night' from all three, though of course Bumblebee couldn't talk.

"Don't let the scraplets bite." Bulkhead said. I gave him a questioning look, then shook my head and went up the stairs. I laid carefully on the couch instead of flopping on it like I normally would, my chest still hurt. I closed my eyes, the noise of the Autobots moving about not even bothering me as I fell asleep.

Chapter 3

I slept in the next morning until Bulkhead's steps jarred me awake. I sat up and stretched, the fact that it should've hurt like a mo-fo didn't register until a few seconds later. Experimentally, I got up from the couch, to my surprise I felt like I was normal again. The look on Ratchet's face was priceless when I took the steps two at a time and jogged up to him. He stuttered at me.

"How did you just...?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno, but I feel great, like nothing ever happened." I said. I noted that my side ached slightly, but I remembered it was probably just the stitches pulling at my already healed skin. Ratchet scanned me again, examining the results before looking at me incredulously.

"By the All Spark... you're completely recovered..." Ratchet said. "Your Cybertronian biology has also spread to your entire body..." Ratchet muttered, looking back down at the scan. I glanced around, noting that Bulkhead was still there but Bumblebee and Arcee were gone.

"Where's Arcee and Bumblebee?" I asked. Ratchet shook off his disbelief to answer me, but Bulkhead piped up instead.

"Arcee took Jack to work and Bumblebee is out for a drive with Miko and Raf." Bulkhead said. I went over to my bike, slipping my helmet on as I started the engine.

"I'm gonna see if I can find Bee, I can't stand not doing anything. I'll stay in touch." I said, showing Ratchet I had my phone before I put it in my pocket. I revved my bike's engine to take off, but Ratchet called me back for a moment.

"Don't you want your stitches out? I could call June..." he said. I shook my head, and my voice was hard to hear because it was muffled by my helmet and nearly drowned out by my bike idling.

"Later, I'm fine for now. Besides, June's probably busy." I said before exiting the base. I opened up my motorcycle to near full throttle, crouching low behind the handlebars as everything raced by. Near town, I saw another bike coming from the opposite direction and slowed greatly, recognizing it as Arcee. She stopped as well, not bothering to deactivate the hologram she was using.

"Sam? How are you out like this?" she asked.

"Somehow I'm healed, I feel fine. I was just looking for Bumblebee and the kids if you happened to know where they were." I said, revving the engine on my bike.

"They're on the road heading north out of town, but before you go, how about a race? I want to see what that replica of me can do." Arcee said.

"Technically, you're a replica of my bike. Remember?" I said. I didn't mean to be mean, but I could tell simply by looking at Arcee that I was going to win. She wasn't turbocharged and I had a bit of a, ahem, special addition to my bike. I accepted anyway, telling myself I'd keep it fair and almost let her win.

"Sure. How far?" I asked. She seemed to look for a moment, judging distance.

"To the next mile marker and back here." Arcee said. I nodded.

"Ready when you are." I said, revving my bike as I waited.

"Go!" Arcee shouted and tore off. I pretended to get a bad start and let her get ahead of me. She wasn't going full throttle, yet, and we were at the mile marker quickly. I smashed the brakes and used my foot as a pivot point to turn. Now was when I showed what my bike could really do. I flicked on the turbo, pulling up next to Arcee, then hovered my thumb over a red button. I yelled over the wind at Arcee, who was now trying her hardest to beat me.

"See ya!" I said and pushed the button that activated my nitro. I gripped the handlebars tightly as I zipped past the finish line, braking before I hit the town and resumed the speed limit. I simply left Arcee in the dust before I went to find Bumblebee and the kids.

Quite a few miles later, I saw a green helicopter fly over, circle back and around me, then it left. I thought it was awkward, but up ahead I saw who I had been looking for. The taillights of a black and yellow Camaro shone as it pulled to a stop and I floored it up to Bee before stopping next to him. He hummed and beeped at me, and Raf was about to translate before I answered for him.

"Yeah I know, somehow I'm completely healed now. Mind if I drive with you?" I said. Bumblebee beeped at me before starting forward, and I followed beside him.

...

We basically spent our day on a Sunday drive, but my phone rang at about five-o-clock. I signaled Bee to stop and did the same, fishing my phone out of my back pocket I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked. Jack's voice was the one who answered me.

"Hey Sam. I, uh, just wanted to say I'm off work now, and my mom called me too. She wants you to come to our house for a little bit so she can take your stitches out." Jack said. I nodded, then answered him.

"Yeah, okay, just text me your address, I have GPS on my phone. I've just been out for a drive with Bee and the kids." I said. Jack answered back.

"Okay, I will. I'll be at the base when you get there from my place. Oh, by the way, would you happen to know why Arcee's upset? She's hardly talked to me at all." Jack said. I laughed slightly.

"Probably because she wanted to race me and I kicked her tailpipe." I said. Jack laughed back, wrapping it up.

"I gotta go, but see you soon." Jack said. He hung up, and I waited for a second for Jack's text. I got it, programmed it into my phone, and looked at the directions. They lived just inside of town, and it wouldn't be hard to get there. Bumblebee decided that it was time to head back to the base as well, so he drove with me until I had to turn off. I found Jack's house easily, and pulled into their driveway. I parked my bike, walking up to their front door and knocking.

June answered the door, opening it wider to let me in. I walked inside, surprised at how much their house resembled mine on the inside. She motioned me to the bathroom, having me sit on the edge of the tub she got a pair of scissors and tweezers and knelt next to me, examining the now-healed wound on my ribs.

"I don't believe it, but I guess it's true. Somehow you're completely healed." June said, starting to cut the threads in the stitches. She picked up the tweezers, giving me a warning.

"This might sting a bit." June said. Most of the stitches came out easily, but a few were stuck that she had to yank out. I didn't make a sound, it really didn't hurt that bad, and June stood, helping me up.

"There you go." June said. I dipped my head in thanks.

"Thank you, I should be getting back to the base now, though." I said. June walked with me to the door, and I turned to her just before I left.

"I have a question, June. Did you know a Dr. Eve Westerly or Dr. Matt Westerly?" I asked. June thought a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, they worked in the emergency department with me. They were so dedicated to their work, but I heard they both died in a car accident a while ago." June said. I looked up at her sadly.

"My last name is Westerly." I said. June didn't make the connection at first, but then her face took on that 'sympathy' look.

"Oh my gosh, Sam, those were your parents? I'm so sorr-" June was saying before I interrupted.

"I know, what happened I suppose was meant to be somehow. I've already grieved for them, and though they were hardly ever home, I knew it was for a good reason. Besides, the Autobots are great to be around, well, at least Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee. Optimus just kind of keeps to himself and Ratchet's always grumpy." I said. June chuckled at this, waving at me as I walked out the door and started my bike. I backed out of her driveway onto the road before turning to head to the base.

Chapter 4

Summer vacation was in full swing, and I had company from the kids more often. Sometimes they'd spend the night, but most of the time they'd go home late at night, only to be back the next day. I had had a sleepless night for some reason, and early the next morning Bulkhead asked me a favor, yawning as he did so.

"Hey Sam, could you pick up Miko for me today? I'm beat." Bulkhead asked. I chuckled, already walking for my bike.

"Sure big guy. You have a long night too?" I asked. Bulkhead nodded.

"Yeah, I couldn't seem to power down for very long. Anyway, thanks, I'm sure Miko will like the change of pace." Bulkhead said. I pulled on my helmet and mounted my bike, speeding out of the base, I pulled back a bit when I got on the open road. It was actually a really nice morning, the sun wasn't up yet but it was light enough to see. I enjoyed the slight coolness in the air that would soon give way to the day's heat.

Something reached my ears over the sound of my bike and I looked up to see the helicopter from the other day slow and fly straight at me. I slammed on the brakes, my bike swerving sharply. I gained control, skidding out of the way as the copter circled around again. I gunned the engine on my bike, trying to get the hell out of there. I had no freaking idea why they were trying to run me off the road, but once again I lost my bike.

A cable shot out from the helicopter, puncturing the back tire and bringing my bike to an instant stop. I, however, did not, and flew over the handlebars. I ducked and rolled, coming up covered in sand and grit. I could have been seriously hurt, but thanks to my tough internal structure I was fine. Yanking off my helmet so I could see better, I backed away as cables dropped from the copter to the ground. Thinking fast, I snapped a picture of the helicopter and the men who were now coming at me. I sent a fast text to Raf, including the picture, then shoved my phone into my pocket.

About a dozen guys in black uniforms were closing towards me, holding guns. My fight or flight instinct kicked in, as well as my judo training. When the first guy lunged at me, I swiped his feet out from under him, snatching his gun as he fell. I bashed the butt of the gun in another's face, and caught a blow right under my chin from yet another. Flipping one soldier over my head, I sprinted in the opposite direction, not getting far before an electrical pulse hit me.

It seemed like everything caved in on itself, and I was already blacking out before I hit the ground. I felt my knees hit the dirt before it all went dark.

...

"Sir, it's just as we initially expected... She's entirely of the extraterrestrial's makeup, at least internally..." a strange voice cut through the darkness, followed by another.

"Remarkable, I want to know how she works though. Take her apart piece by piece if you have to." a darker voice said. I forced my eyes open quickly, trying to jerk away but finding my hands pinned beside my head and my feet cuffed as well. I struggled to break free, only earning myself a cut on the wrist from the sharp shackle. I tried not to pay attention to the fact that energon instead of blood was running down my arm. The noise attracted attention, and a man with short graying hair walked up to me, eyeing where I had just cut myself. He had a scar running down the bridge of his nose that continued over his cheek.

I had always had a flighty tendency, and now that I couldn't run or fight I felt like a trapped animal, terrified. I continued to jerk against the cuffs that held me, not even stopping when I could feel the shackles grating against the metal just under my skin. A soldier came up behind the man, giving me a cautious glance.

"Silas, sir, we are ready to begin." the soldier said to Silas. Silas nodded, leaning closer to me. I pulled away as much as I could.

"You are very special, aren't you girl? Almost just like one of the aliens, though you look just like a human, very clever of them..." Silas said.

"What are you talking about?" I spat. Silas half-grinned, but not in a happy way.

"Those non-biologicals are making their kind look like humans now, they've gone too far. I suppose they'll just have to pay with your life, and your contribution to MECH's science." Silas said. My eyes widened and I thrashed again.

"What?! You're crazy! I got impaled through the heart with an energon shard, that's why I'm like this! Leave the Autobots out of this you jerk!" I said. Silas kept that creepy grin on his face.

"A feisty one, aren't you? You remind me a lot of Arcee. Even so, I'm going to find out what exactly you are." Silas said. I had already rubbed my wrists raw, energon was smeared around my arms and hands and the metal under my skin was now exposed. Silas leaned back, and a soldier took his place. The soldier stabbed me with a sort of prod, and my whole body immediately went numb, though I was still conscious. I tried to struggle, but my body wouldn't obey me.

...

Raf sat, tapping on his laptop. Bumblebee had brought him here a while ago, and he was waiting for Miko and Jack, as well as Sam. Bulkhead told Raf that Miko and Sam should've been back any minute, but they continued to be late. Raf's phone rang, and he answered it to hear Miko.

"Yo, Raf, do you know what the big deal is? I'm still stuck at home, now what's wrong with that picture?" Miko asked, annoyed. Raf's phone made a small melody, announcing he'd gotten a text. He told Miko he'd call her back and hung up, checking the text.

The sender's ID labeled the message was from Sam, and he opened it quickly.

"In trouble- get help!" the short text said. Sam was crafty enough to take a picture, it was a helicopter with men starting to slide down ropes from inside. Raf wondered why soldiers would want to kidnap Sam, but when he enlarged the picture he saw why.

The symbol for MECH was stamped on the underside of the chopper. Instantly, Raf turned to Ratchet.

...

I jerked as I felt yet another set of hands touch me, and I pulled against the cuffs on my already rubbed raw wrists. Just under my skin was entirely metal, and it screeched loudly against the cuffs. I couldn't feel anything, at least pain wise, but I wanted out of there now.

"Why is it you keep struggling? There's no way to escape." Silas called from a platform. I glared, twitching as I felt pressure on my side. A MECH agent was basically dissecting me alive, and I knew I had to get out of there, fast. Acutely aware of everything around me, the soft spatter of my glowing blue energon dripping to the floor reached my ears.

...

"Bumblebee, you're with Ratchet and I." Optimus said as soon as he heard what had happened to Sam. He transformed, and Raf opened a ground bridge to an area outside of MECH's headquarters. Ratchet and Bumblebee followed him in vehicle mode, and Optimus drove through the bridge.

On the other side, Optimus transformed as the bridge closed behind he and his troops.

"Speed is of the essence, we do not know what they would want with Sam or what they have done with her already. Bumblebee, scout ahead, if it gets too dangerous I fear we may have to storm the base." Optimus said. Bumblebee nodded, emitting a high pitched sequence of beeps as he ran for the base.

...

My objective was working, though I had no idea what I'd do when I got free. Judging escapes while the agent dug further into my side, I locked my gaze on the tunnel that I was pretty sure ran all the way out of the base. Not obviously, rather subtlety, I glanced around.

There was the agent busy taking me apart, a few soldiers that were unarmed on the platform, and Silas, though none were blocking my escape route. I took a breath, closing my eyes and sliding my hands downward. With most of my skin torn from my wrists and energon slicking my hands, I slid my hands out of the cuffs almost imperceptibly.

In a movement like a cobra's strike, I slammed the side of my hand into the agent's neck, making him black out instantly. I broke the cuffs around my feet, leaping up and sprinting like a cheetah into the tunnel. I heard commotion behind me, but I was too busy trying to run and hold a hand to my incised side. The feeling was starting to return to my body, and now my wrists and side were starting to burn. Turning a corner sharply, I ran smack into something with a metallic crash as I stumbled back.

Looking up, I was insanely relieved. Bumblebee gave me a surprised look, then made a low noise.

"Bumblebee, we need to get out of here, like now!" I said. He pointed at my side and wrists, making a higher pitched whirr.

"I'll tell you later, now let's go!" I said, starting to run. Bumblebee transformed, driving slowly next to me and opening the passenger door. I jumped in without complaint, and he tore off, swerving to a stop in front of Optimus and Ratchet, who must have come along. I got out of Bumblebee's vehicle mode, a hand still pressed to my side.

"Sam, are you alright?" Optimus asked. I felt a bit bad for being sarcastic, but retorted anyway.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just kind of got dissected by MECH back there." I said. Optimus glanced up at the headquarters, where soldiers were just starting to appear out of the tunnel.

"Raf, bridge us back to base, we retrieved Sam." Optimus said into his commlink. A swirling green ground bridge opened up and I sprinted through it with the rest of the Autobots. It shut behind us, allowing no one else entry into the base. I slowed to a stop, still shaking from the ordeal. Jack and Miko weren't there, and I felt bad for not picking up Miko that day. Raf, on the other hand, widened his eyes when he saw me.

"Oh my gosh, Sam are you okay?" Raf asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright. The deal with me first getting hurt must have been a one time deal though, otherwise I think my wrists would have healed by now." I said, holding out my arm that wasn't clamped against my side. Ratchet frowned, kneeling down to me.

"I should really see if I can repair you, Samantha." Ratchet said. I hated whenever someone called me by my full name and I inwardly sighed.

"Please call me Sam... and fine, because this doesn't exactly feel nice." I said, glancing down at where the stupid MECH agent had slit my side. Ratchet had me sit on one of the tables in the med-bay and gathered a few things.

I had to say, for a giant robot he did have a light touch. He bandaged my wrist that wasn't still pressed to my side before motioning for the other one. Reluctantly, I released the pressure I'd had on my side and held my wrist out. I felt energon trickle down my side, and Ratchet quickly dressed my wrist before turning his attention to the deeper wound. I explained as he felt carefully around the incision.

"MECH was trying to dissect me like a biology experiment, the guy cutting into me got fairly far before I could slip out." I said.

"It appears as though they were performing an exploratory operation, you're right in the fact that they got a good ways into your circuitry. It won't be hard to repair, but I can warn it won't be pleasant." Ratchet said. I sighed.

"Don't worry about me, I'm a tough girl." I said, trying to lighten the mood with a small smile. Ratchet looked at me doubtfully, examining my side closer as I pulled my arm forward out of the way. I saw his optics widen and he leaned back a moment.

"By the All Spark, you've developed a T-cog as well..." Ratchet said. I gave him a confused look, and he explained as he turned his hand into a laser/torch thing.

"A T-cog is the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform, as well as use our weapons and upgrades." Ratchet said. He started sealing the incision on my side closed, and I grimaced but didn't flinch.

"So I can transform?" I asked. Ratchet didn't look up, but continued repairing me.

"I assume so, internally, you are one of us. Aside from your human skin, you are entirely Cybertronian." Ratchet glanced up. "Have you noticed your eyes recently? They have the same hue as our optics as well." he said. I was weirded out and amazed at the same time.

"Cool. I guess I really am one of you now." Ratchet closed up the slit in my side and laid a bandage over it. I slid from the table and landed solidly on my feet. I thanked Ratchet, and he simply nodded as he cleaned up his lab.

I walked back into the main hangar, Raf was tapping something in on his laptop, Arcee was gone, as well as Bulkhead, but Bumblebee and Optimus were still there. All three of them turned when I walked in, and Optimus looked relieved.

"It appears Ratchet has successfully repaired you." Optimus said. I nodded, glancing at my wrists and then down at my side.

"Yeah, I wasn't hurt too badly, just surface wounds." I said. Bumblebee beeped and droned something, which Raf quickly translated.

"Bumblebee asked if you're okay." Raf said. I nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine, like I said-" I was saying as Bumblebee made a different pitched set of whirrs and beeps.

"Bumblebee said that he meant when you ran into his foot." Raf said, looking at me questioningly. I didn't remember that, but then it came back and I gave a small laugh.

"Yeah I'm okay. I don't think I've ever been so relived to smash my face into something metal." I said. Raf smirked, and I had a feeling Bumblebee would be smiling as well. Optimus turned and left, leaving Bumblebee, Raf, and I alone. My side didn't actually hurt that much, but for some reason the oddly fast rate of healing I'd had when I'd been impaled wasn't happening now.

I was itching to see if I could transform, but decided to wait. I trotted up the steps to where Raf was sitting and he kept working on something. I walked up and stood behind him, trying to figure out what he was working on.

"What are you doing there?" I said. I couldn't make heads or tails of the symbols on the screen, and Raf didn't look up as he spoke.

"Trying to decode the Iacon data file that we got from the Decepticon warship recently. Optimus showed me how; it just takes a long time." Raf said. I was confused, and Raf eventually shut his laptop, sighing.

"Okay, two things, how can you read and decode Cybertronian, and how does Optimus know how to decode it in the first place?" I asked. Raf shrugged at the first part of my question, then went on a long back story of before Optimus was made a Prime. I actually found myself drawn in, the fact that Optimus wasn't always the strong leader he is now was almost unbelievable.

"Wow..." I said. I tilted my head, smiling slightly as I asked Raf something.

"Hey Raf, you ever ridden on a motorcycle?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Wanna go for a drive?" I asked. Raf considered, then nodded.

"Sure." he said. Raf called to Bumblebee, "Hey Bee, we're going for a drive, wanna come?" Bumblebee made a high pitched beep before transforming into his vehicle mode. I laughed.

"I guess that's a yes." I said. Raf set his laptop on the couch before following me down to where I had parked my bike. I only had one helmet, so I gave it to Raf and put my hair up in a ponytail so it wouldn't fly into my face.

I mounted my bike, pulling Raf up behind me and adjusting the helmet on his head because it was a little big. Bumblebee revved his engine, waiting to go.

"Hold on tight and whatever you do, don't fall off. Believe me, it doesn't feel good to hit the ground when you were going ninety miles an hour." I said. Raf gave me a thumbs up, and I started my speed bike. I decided I wasn't going to go flat out since Raf had never ridden before, but I still was going pretty fast as I left the base. Raf had his small arms around my waist, and Bumblebee was following a few car lengths behind us.

Turning onto the road that would lead to the town, I accelerated, making my bike go as fast as it could without the turbo and nitrous. I slowed after a few seconds, looking behind me, I called over the wind.

"Having fun back there?" I asked. The visor on my helmet was blacked out, so I couldn't see his face, but I saw him nod. Smiling, I kept on towards the town. Raf leaned out from behind me, shouting over the wind but muffled because of my helmet.

"Is that Bulkhead?" he asked. I saw a glint about a mile in front of us, and squinting, I saw it was a large green truck. I was assured it was Bulkhead when a certain fourteen year old stuck her head out of the window and waved. I pulled to a stop, Bumblebee doing the same, and Bulkhead met up with us.

Miko talked to us from the window, glancing at my bandaged wrists and side.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Recovering from a bad day. We'll have story time later if you want." I said, grinning. I leaned around, flipping the visor up on my helmet that Raf was wearing.

"Should we go back now?" I asked him. Raf shrugged, but Miko answered for him.

"Of course we should! I want to hear all about it! Besides, hanging around with a chick who's actually a bot is totally awesome! Let's go, Bulk." Miko said, clicking her seatbelt back on as Bulkhead drove off. I gave a sort of WTH glance at Raf.

"Why does she always have to be like that?" I asked. Raf gave a good natured shrug, and I jokingly flipped the visor back down on the helmet.

"Come on boy genius, we better be getting back." I said, revving my bike and spinning around to go back to the base. I took off at an easy pace at first, then yelled over at Bumblebee.

"Hey Bee, race you back to the base!" I called. Bumblebee droned a single tone before hitting the gas.

"Cheater!" I yelled, opening my bike up to full throttle. I craned around briefly to Raf.

"Whatever you do, don't let go!" I called.

"Wasn't planning on it!" Raf said. I caught up quickly with Bumblebee, though he was actually giving my bike a run for it's money. Nearing the base with him about a car length ahead of me, I flicked on the turbo and barely beat him as I shot into the tunnel for the base. I pulled to a stop, and Raf slid off my bike, handing me my helmet. I put it on one of my handlebars and climbed off.

Bumblebee pulled in behind us, and I walked over to him curiously.

"You're really fast, Bee. Could you do me a favor?" I asked. Bumblebee whirred and I spoke again.

"Pop the hood real quick?" I asked. Bumblebee complied, the latch clicking open and I lifted the hood of his car mode. I saw the reason why he was able to almost beat me and gave a low whistle.

"Wow, you've got a V-8, double-carb, small block." I looked over the motor and shook my head in awe before glancing up at Bee. "I'd guess around 360 horsepower or more. Where the heck did you find a car like this to scan?" I asked. Bumblebee transformed and shrugged, going off in a series of beeps and whirrs. Raf translated for me.

"Bee said he can't remember, but he said thanks for the compliment." Raf said. Miko appeared out of nowhere, tapping on my shoulder and scaring the crap out of me. I jumped when she touched me, and she laughed.

"Ha ha, scaredy bot! Come on, I wanna hear what happened!" Miko said, grabbing my arm and dragging me up to the platform. She plunked me on the couch and sat in front of me, her chin in her hands.

"Tell me everything that happened to you today." Miko said. I gave her a look, glancing down at the tunnel into the base when I heard an engine. Arcee pulled in with Jack, who dismounted before Arcee transformed. Miko waved Jack up, and he did, giving me a concerned look when he saw I was bandaged up.

"Long story..." I said.

"Which you're going to tell right now." Miko said. I sighed, and started telling the chain of events that had led to me ending up back at the base. Arcee and Bulkhead were listening as well, they hadn't known I was kidnapped. The two Autobots seemed appalled by the end of my description, and Arcee got Optimus' attention.

"Optimus, we can't let MECH do this. Look at them, they kidnapped Sam, she's Jack's age, and she could've been killed by them. We..." Arcee was saying. Optimus turned, interrupting her.

"I understand, Arcee, but we cannot risk attacking their facility. We shall have to be on our guard. Though, it seems our newest friend is quite resilient. You heard her, she managed to escape on her own; Bumblebee just aided her in getting away." Optimus said. Arcee sighed, walking off, and Miko got up from where she'd been sitting.

"Well, it sounds like you've had a long day. Do you want to take a nap or something?" Miko said. I looked at her funny then shook my head.

"I'm fine..." I said. Miko glanced at my bandaged wounds and stepped closer to me.

"Cool, look." she said, pointing at me. I glanced at my wrists to see that the bandage had soaked through and glowing blue energon was staining them. I rolled my eyes, which according to Ratchet were blue now.

"Yes, I bleed energon now, we've established this already." I said.

"Does it hurt?" Jack asked from behind me. I turned.

"Not really, kind of like when you get an Indian burn, but it doesn't hurt much." I said.

...

Later that night, Jack and Raf decided to go home, but Miko wanted to stay the night, so she stayed behind. I was ready to turn in, but Miko was bouncing off the walls, almost literally. Bulkhead got her to calm down somewhat by having her play her guitar, though the bust-your-ears loud music I wasn't into.

After Miko got tired, I curiously went over and picked up her guitar. Remember how I had a lot of free time? I adjusted her amp and strummed once to make sure it was where I wanted it before I started playing.

I was actually really good at guitar, and I played the intro to Linkin Park's 'New Divide' before Miko stopped me.

"You can play? Awesome!" Miko said.

I set her guitar down, yawning as I flopped onto the couch.

"Yeah, I can do piano too. Anyway, I'm bushed, stay up if you want but I'm going to sleep." I said. I rolled over, falling asleep almost immediately.

Chapter 5

I woke the next morning to the sound of voices, and I cracked open an eye to find I was on the floor, not the couch. I heard who I thought was Miko go running down the stairs, calling for Ratchet and I sat up.

Shaking off sleep, I did a double-take when I saw why Miko was freaking out. For one, the floor was a lot farther away than I remember. Another thing, I was entirely made of metal. The curves and plating vaguely suggested the clothes I'd been wearing, but I was entirely a steel gray color. My wrists looked okay now, but I felt along my side and found the raised seam where Ratchet had welded it back together.

"Whoa..." I muttered. I went carefully down the stairs, able to take about six at a time now. I judged I was a bit shorter than Arcee, but pretty dang close. I tried to gain a sense of equilibrium; I wasn't used to being nearly eighteen feet tall. Miko came running back, Ratchet following.

"Miko, what is so important that you can't...oh..." Ratchet said as he came in and saw me. I gave him a sheepish look.

"Uh...do you have any idea why I look like this now?" I said. Ratchet shook his head, optics wide, and motioned me over. I walked carefully, not enjoying how I couldn't be quiet now that I weighed half a ton. Ratchet scanned me, and looked at the results.

"It appears that your Spark is functioning optimally, what happened to you must have been a finalization of your becoming Cybertronian." he said. I glanced down at myself, wondering why I was colorless and generic-looking.

"Why don't I look like you, I mean, I don't have color or features or anything?" I asked. Ratchet gave a faint smile at this.

"That I can answer. You don't have a vehicle mode yet, all Cybertronians look somewhat like you before we scan an alternate mode. And by the way, you do have features; your face resembles what it was when you were human." Ratchet said. I shifted my weight uneasily.

"So how exactly do I scan a vehicle mode?" I asked.

"When you find one you like, it should happen automatically. As for transforming, I find it a bit hard to explain. I suppose it comes naturally after you scan a vehicle." Ratchet said.

"Would my bike work? You know, as a reference?" I asked. Ratchet nodded. Curiously, I walked over to where I'd parked my bike. Instantly, a 3-D image of it appeared in front of my vision and a green scanner flashed down my bike's frame, transferring data to my new systems. I watched as black paneling appeared and shifted onto my frame, details grafted on quickly.

After things stopped shifting and latched into place, I took a good look at myself. Because my bike was jet black, so was I, and the lime-green pinstripe that had been on my bike now ran up both of my arms. Actually, I looked a lot like Arcee, which wasn't hard to imagine because our vehicle modes were the same.

Ratchet walked up, nodding.

"Just as I said. You should have the same weapons as well, see if you do, then I'd say you could go for a drive. Take someone with you though, you aren't used to your vehicle mode yet and someone to give you pointers would be helpful." Ratchet said. I was surprised that equipping my weapons was almost as natural as walking, and first equipped my blasters before switching to the sort of arm blades that Arcee used.

"Cool. Wait, I should have a hologram too, right? A motorcycle driving itself isn't exactly 'robots in disguise.'" I said. Ratchet gestured.

"See for yourself." he said. I stood, a bit unsure of what to do, then figured out how to transform. I activated my hologram, which looked like Arcee's, and drove in a slow circle.

"Wow... this is so amazing!" I exclaimed. Miko looked at me somewhat jealously.

"No fair! I wish I could do that..." Miko said, crossing her arms. I deactivated the hologram and drove up to her.

"How 'bout a ride?" I asked. Miko looked begrudgingly at me, then dropped her arms and climbed on.

"Fine, but don't baby me." Miko said. I laughed, pulling beside my old bike and stopping.

"You still have to wear a helmet." I said. Miko leaned down and picked it up from the floor, putting it on. It's a bit hard to describe being a motorcycle, it wasn't like I just turned into a bike, I was like a bike with sentient feelings and control of its systems. I started to pull out, calling to see if Bumblebee wanted to come with me and give me some tips. I was surprised at something else; I could understand him now. What I heard sounded like English, but with a sort of electronic tinge to it.

"Sure, whatever you need, Sam." Bumblebee said. I would have gaped had I been in robot mode, and drove over to him after he transformed into a Camaro.

"Holy crap...I can actually understand you. Say something else." I said. Bumblebee pulled around me slightly, heading for the door.

"Like what?" he said. I laughed, following him out.

...

Bee gave me pointers while we were driving, though I found it easier than I thought. All the same techniques I had used when controlling my bike before were the same, though now I _was_ my bike. Even more awesome, I had the turbo engine and nitrous that my bike had had as well. I went flat out as fast as I could with the turbo and nitro once, just so Miko could see how it felt.

I could hear her laughing insanely over the wind and I laughed too, going back to the base. Bee drove next to me, asking me questions and chatting as we went.

"You don't know how good it feels to have someone else that can understand me. It gets a bit frustrating when I can tell someone something as clear as day, but they won't get it because my voice box was torn out." Bumblebee said. I felt sympathetic.

"I know what you mean, but at least Raf and I can understand you, as well as the rest of the team." I said. Bumblebee was silent for a moment, then spoke up again.

"Did it hurt?" Bee asked. I would have given him a look, had I possessed a face at the moment. Miko interrupted before I could reply.

"Dude, I feel left out, what is he saying?" Miko said. I ignored her for a minute.

"Did what hurt, Bee?" I said.

"When you first got turned, you know, when the energon shard got stuck in your chest." Bee said. I didn't want to lie to him, so I didn't.

"Yeah, a lot actually." I said. Miko kicked me impatiently, and I replied to her quickly. "It's nothing important." I said. Bee got my attention, though he sounded somewhat down.

"I...I was the one that blew up that crystal...It's my fault you're like this..." Bumblebee said. I pulled closer to him.

"Hey, it's not your fault. Besides, this is the coolest thing that could ever have happened to me, if anything I should thank you." I said. Bee was quiet, then said one more thing as we pulled back into the base.

"Thanks for that... You know, I could give you some combat training if Optimus says so." Bumblebee said. I pulled in, nearly dumping Miko onto the floor, and she got off me quickly, pulling off the helmet and just tossing it towards my old bike before leaving. I transformed and glanced after her, turning my gaze back to Bee when he transformed.

"That sounds cool. When do you want to start?" I asked. Bee shrugged.

"How about now?" Bumblebee said.

"Sure, where's Optim-" I was saying right as Optimus walked in, Arcee trailing him. Bumblebee turned and I put a hand on my hip, half-conscious of the metal on metal noise it made.

"Optimus, would it be okay for me to give Sam combat training?" Bumblebee asked. Optimus nodded.

"Very well, go easy on Sam for a while, she's new to being one of us." Optimus said. Bumblebee motioned me to follow him, and I hurried to catch up, stopping a moment in front of Arcee. We looked at each other for a moment before we both cracked a smile.

"Is it just me, or am I seeing double?" I joked. Arcee grinned, talking over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Just know I could still kick your tailpipe in a fight, speed isn't everything." Arcee joked. I caught up with Bumblebee, following him into a large empty room.

"This is where we train, do target practice, whatever. Okay, show me what you've got; come at me." Bee said, making a 'bring it on' gesture. I hesitated a moment before advancing. Bumblebee wasn't the tallest of bots, but he was still bigger than me. When I got close, he launched a punch at my head, which I quickly and instinctively dodged. My judo training kicked in, and I circled him, waiting for him to give me an opening.

Bumblebee lunged at me, and I leapt out of the way, hitting him across the back of his knees before swiping his feet out from under him. He hit the floor with a crash, and I stood over him with a hand on my hip.

"Like that?" I asked, holding out my hand to help him up. He looked at me somewhat shocked.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Bee asked. I shrugged.

"I'm a black belt in Judo. I didn't hurt you, did I?" I asked. Bumblebee shook his head, taking my hand and I hauled him to his feet.

"Okay...you seem to have the fighting part down. Are you a good shot?" Bumblebee asked. I shrugged again.

"I'm good at archery, but I don't know about blasters." I said, equipping one of my blasters and looking at it. Bee turned me to face a solid metal portion of the wall. There was a target that had been painted on it, though there were scorch marks and dents riddling the area around it and on it.

"Just see if you can hit the target." Bee said, stepping back. I raised my weapon, trying to attribute the mechanics of it to archery, aimed, and fired at the wall. I had missed completely, but my shot was exactly where I'd aimed. Obviously, these shots were much more powerful than an arrow, I wouldn't have to aim above where I wanted to hit it.

"I think I've got it, let me try again." I said. Bee nodded, gesturing to the target. I aimed again and fired, this time hitting the bull's-eye dead on. I grinned, turning to Bee.

"Wow...Uh, I think you've got this stuff down. We should go tell Optimus, maybe next time there's a fight he'll let you come." Bumblebee said. I smiled, following him out of the training room. We walked down the dim halls, our footfalls seeming loud in the still space. I nonchalantly commented as we made our way back to the main hangar.

"This place seems so much bigger on the inside..." I said. Bumblebee glanced around, nodded once, and we walked back into the main hangar. I went over to the platform; Jack and Raf had arrived while Bee and I had been in the training room. Both of them looked up at the sound of my approach and they did a double-take.

"Arcee?" Jack asked. I smirked.

"Guess again." I said. Jack looked confused, then his jaw dropped.

"Sam?! Wow, you uh, look different. B-but I like it...uh...what happened, exactly?" Jack stuttered. I laughed, I may have looked like Arcee but I had opposite of her personality. Where she was solemn and unsmiling, I was a happy and joking character. I answered Jack.

"No idea, I woke up like this. I scanned my bike as a vehicle mode, that's why I look so much like Arcee. I gotta say though, once you go black, you never go back." I joked. Jack smirked at my pun.

"Ha. Really though, you do look good in black, I think it's your color." Jack said. Raf and Miko snickered, and I rolled my optics.

...

"Prime! We've got a situation!" a man said when he appeared on the screen in the main hangar. I now knew his name to be William Fowler, he was a military agent that basically got assigned to babysit the Autobots. Optimus and Arcee were gone on a patrol, but Ratchet answered.

"Optimus isn't here, what is the problem, Agent Fowler?" Ratchet asked. I walked up behind Ratchet, and Agent Fowler gave me a look.

"When did Arcee get a makeover?" he asked. I facepalmed myself, letting Ratchet answer for me.

"That is not Arcee. Her name is Sam, she's the one who was turned into an Autobot after she was injured badly a while ago." Ratchet said. Fowler looked at me a moment, then shook his head.

"Okay, whatever. The 'Cons sent their medic and Dreadwing to ransack a military base, at the moment they're winning, so I suggest you get over there now and stop 'em!" Agent Fowler said. Ratchet nodded, and Fowler disappeared from the screen.

"Wait, so who's butt do we need to kick?" I said. Ratchet gave me a 'huh?' glance, then shook it off, ordering the remaining bots as well as me.

"Knockout and Dreadwing are attacking a military base. Sam, go with Bulkhead and Bumblebee, help as much as you can, just be careful." Ratchet said. I nodded, transforming and racing after Bulkhead and Bee as they went through a ground bridge that Ratchet opened.

We burst onto the scene to encounter heavy gunfire and fleeing soldiers, and I transformed back after Bulk and Bumblebee did. I shadowed Bee as he charged for Knockout, arming my blades as I did so. Bee landed a solid punch on Knockout before I hit him in the back of the knee and flipped him over my head. He hit the ground hard, but didn't lose his grip on the weapon he'd been holding. A sort of spear was clutched in his hand, and he glared as he regained his feet.

Bumblebee and I stood side by side, ready to fight. I glanced up at a loud crash to see Bulkhead and Breakdown clashing. I thought he could handle himself, so I stayed with Bee.

"Well well, I like the new paint job Arcee." Knockout said. I smirked.

"I'm not Arcee." I said. Knockout looked confused, then realization spread on his face.

"That voice...oh, you're that human I ran off the road a while ago. Erg, I knew I should have just killed you then, look at the annoyance I've left myself." Knockout sneered. Jeez, he had the alternate mode of a street car, and boy did he have the attitude of a racer. My grin dropped, and I switched to a glare.

"Enough talk." I said. I ran at him, dodging a blow and slicing my blade up his chest. He stumbled back, looking in disgust at the scratch in his armor. He looked up, angry, and glared.

"You scratch my paint, I scratch yours." Knockout said, raising the spear he was holding. The thing started to spark with electricity, and he ran at me, spinning his weapon in his hand. I was just about to dodge out of the way when Bee jumped in front of me. Knockout instantly rammed the butt of the spear into Bee's chest and electrocuted him. Bumblebee stiffened and dropped to the ground, his optics flickering.

"Bee!" I cried, distracted. Knockout caught me right under the chin and I staggered from the blow. Moving like lightening, I kicked the spear out of his hand, though he caught my foot after he dropped his weapon. Knockout slammed me to the ground, and I hissed in pain before he planted a foot on my chest and pinned me to the dirt. He turned his hand into a saw, lowering it for my throat.

"It appears your time as an Autobot will be short-lived." Knockout said. I tried to keep his hand from my neck, but he was stronger. I had just felt the saw dig into my neck when Knockout's weight was suddenly removed from my body, accompanied with a loud crash. I looked up to see Bulkhead standing over me. He had broken away from Dreadwing and knocked the 'Con's medic off of me.

I got up quickly, voicing my thanks, and faced Knockout again as Bulkhead clashed with Dreadwing. Knockout glared, now having a sizeable dent in his shiny red armor. I decided just to drop him as fast as I could and see if Bumblebee was alright. I equipped my blasters in place of my blades and fired repeatedly, scoring a few hits but getting the reaction that I wanted, confusion.

I ran up, swiped Knockout's feet out from under him, and brought my heel down against his temple, hard. I thought he'd be down for a while, and went to check on Bee. He had just started to sit up when I reached him, and he rubbed a hand against his head.

"You okay? That thing looks pretty potent." I said. Bee nodded, not looking up a the moment.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Nice job with Knockou- Sam! Watch out!" Bumblebee broke off, desperately pointing behind me. I didn't even have time to turn as something jabbed into my back and gave me the nastiest shock I've ever felt. My legs gave out almost instantly, but Knockout didn't let up. He forced me to the ground, pushing the spear further and continually shocking me.

Bee blasted him away, and I must have blacked out for a little while because when I woke up, Knockout and Dreadwing were gone. I groaned, I had a throbbing headache, and I sat up slowly. The first one I saw was Bee, who was looking at me concernedly.

"Are you okay? Come on, let's get you back to the base." Bee said, helping me up. I put a hand to my head, looking around.

"Where's Knockout and Dreadwing?" I said as the three of us walked to the ground bridge that had just opened up.

"Ah, don't worry about those two rust buckets. They got called back right after Knockout decided to zap you." Bulkhead said. I nodded, and Bee helped me walk back to the ground bridge. I glanced at Bumblebee.

"Are you sure you're okay? Knockout shocked you too." I asked. Bee nodded.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Unlike you, he didn't pin me down and try to fry my circuits." Bee said. I leaned on him as I stumbled through the ground bridge, Bulkhead behind us. I felt the odd sensation of being transported and then we were walking into the main hangar of the base. Ratchet frowned when he saw me, and he hurried over.

"You're injured, what happened? Primus, I knew I should have made you stay here, you aren't ready for a combat situation..." Ratchet muttered. Bulkhead spoke up for me.

"Uh, Ratch? Sam was kicking some serious tailpipe, even after Bumblebee went down. Knockout got the drop on her, otherwise she'd have been fine." Bulkhead said.

"Yeah, what Bulk said. Knockout had that stupid energy spear, he got me with it and then Sam went into overdrive and knocked him off his feet. Knockout came up behind her though and got her with the spear, he pinned her down and wouldn't let up with the jolt." Bumblebee added. Ratchet looked me over concernedly.

"How long did he shock you?" Ratchet said. I shrugged, pushing away from Bumblebee and standing the best I could on my own.

"I don't know, ten seconds maybe?" I said. Ratchet scanned me quickly, the beam going from blue to red in a few places. Ratchet sighed, relieved.

"Some of your circuits are damaged, but you'll be able to recover on your own." Ratchet said. I dipped my head, walking carefully to the platform where the kids were hanging out. Miko perked up when she saw me, going to the railing and pulling out her phone before flipping it open.

"You mind if I get a picture?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I don't care, go ahead. You want me to smile?" I asked. Miko shrugged.

"Whatever you want." Miko said. I did a small pose, just putting most of my weight on one leg and placing a hand on my hip. I gave a small grin as Miko said, "Say Autobot!" and she snapped a picture. She looked at the screen, satisfied. "That's a keeper." Miko said.

...

About a week later, the damage done by Knockout was completely healed, and Bulkhead, Bee, and I were relaxing in the base while the kids were busy and Optimus had taken Ratchet out on patrol; Arcee was keeping an eye on Jack while he was at work. I was sitting on the ground, my arm resting across one of my knees as I listened to Bulkhead and Bee's war stories about being back on Cybertron. Bee especially was a good storyteller, the detail and vivid pictures he could create in my mind was astounding. I found myself with almost the same emotions as Bumblebee when he told me that Megatron had ripped out his voice box after Bee refused to give any intel.

Most of Bulkhead's tales were of him being a Wrecker, but I still enjoyed it. He enthusiastically went on about some Autobot I'd never heard of.

"Oh, Sam, you have _got_ to meet Wheeljack one of these days. He may not be the easiest to get along with, but he's a close friend of mine." Bulk said. I shrugged.

"Sure, I'm up for anything." I said. Coincidently, at that exact moment the lights in the hangar dimmed and flickered before going back on reserve power.

"Except maybe that." I said, getting to my feet. I looked around. "What just happened?" I asked. The two bots in front of me shrugged.

"I dunno, we should go check it out. It looks like the main power grid is glitching or something." Bulkhead said. I nodded, following Bulk as he started down the hall. After about a minute, Bulkhead made a noise I never thought could come out of him and he jumped behind me. I gave him a WTF face, he had screamed like a six year old girl.

"Uh, why did you just scream like a little girl?" I asked. Bulkhead pointed past me, terrified at something, and I followed his finger to see a tiny, sort of cute mechanical creature skittering around on the ground. Its large head that was taken up mostly by its huge blue optics only added to its harmless appearance. I turned around to look at Bulkhead before looking back at the creature.

"Why exactly are you scared of the tiny, harmless little thing?" I said. Bulkhead shook his head, backing away and motioning me to do the same.

"Aw scrap, I thought we got rid of these things before, one of them must have gotten left behind." Bulkhead said, explaining. "That's a scraplet, they eat anything metal, but their favorite is Cybertronians. And wherever there's one scraplet, there's a whole bunch more..." Bulkhead said. I still didn't see how it was so terrifying, and I stepped towards the scraplet even as Bulkhead called me back. The cute thing looked at me, its blue optics wide, before its head seemed to come unhinged and an impossibly huge mouth opened, filled with large sharp teeth.

The scraplet ran at me faster than I thought it could, leaping, it fastened onto my arm and started gnawing on it before I could swat it away and stomp the life out of it. I examined the shallow wound on my forearm before looking back at Bulkhead.

"Okay, I believe you now, let's just bridge out of here or something. What did you do the last time this happened?" I asked. Bulkhead hurried back to the main hangar, me running to keep up.

"I lured them through the ground bridge and we sent them to the arctic, a scraplet's one weakness is that they can't handle when it gets too cold." Bulkhead said.

"That sounds easy enough, we just need to get their attention and send 'em through. Come on, let's go open that bridge." I said. I jogged to the controls for the ground bridge and programmed the coordinates, but for some reason the bridge wouldn't open when I pulled down the lever.

"Oh scrap. It looks like they must have chewed through the power lines to the ground bridge, we need to call Ratchet and the kids." Bumblebee said.

"Why the kids...? Oh, they're not made of metal, duh." I said, answering my own question. Bumblebee nodded, calling Raf and explaining. I heard Raf say he'd get the others and be there fast. Bumblebee hung up and turned to Bulk and I. I asked,

"So, do we get out of here or not?" Bumblebee shook his head.

"No, we just have to stick it out until the kids get here, we can't risk any of the scraplets getting outside, they'd wreak havoc on any town they came to." Bumblebee said. Bulkhead whined in fear, and I gave him a look.

"I never thought such a big, bad, bot could be scared, huh Bulkhead?" I said. Bulkhead still looked at me fearfully.

"You would be too if you've dealt with them before. I've seen these things eat a bot alive, there's nothing left when they're done, not even your optics." Bulkhead said. I made a grossed-out face.

"Ew. And for the record, one of those buggers did come at me, you saw it." I said, holding up my arm and showing the shallow wound that was mostly paint damage. Bumblebee put a hand to his ear when someone called again, and I could hear Raf talking.

"Optimus and Ratchet picked up Miko and I, we'll be there shortly. Hang on just a bit longer you guys." Raf said before hanging up. I was relieved that they were already en route, but this was dashed when Bulkhead screamed like a little girl again.

"Scraplets!" he yelled, pointing up at a vent. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of scraplets were crawling out of the vent and over the walls. Bumblebee and Bulkhead armed their weapons, and I did the same, equipping my blasters. We would never be able to kill them all, but we had to try if we wanted to stay alive. We started picking them off, but soon all of them reverted to their almost demonic form and started flying through the air at us.

Fear wasn't strong enough of a word to describe what the three of us felt. It was like I was in a giant cloud of aggressive mosquitoes, though these mosquitoes chewed right through my armor trying to eat me instead of sucking blood. They were also almost as impossible to kill. I could blast one, but five more came to take its place. It wasn't long before we were all being eaten alive, and our energon dripped from our multiplying wounds to pool on the floor. Bumblebee was the first one to go down, and I briefly cleared myself of scraplets to go to his aid. I equipped my blades, stabbing and slashing every blasted scraplet off of him.

They retaliated, and I heard a thud as Bulkhead went down as well. I could only think of saving my friends, I didn't even notice the hoard of scraplets that were attacking me as well. I cleared off Bulkhead briefly, trying to swipe the scraplets off of myself before stumbling back to Bumblebee. I gave a final effort, equipping my blasters again and killing every scraplet attached to me before going on a shooting spree. I didn't miss a single scraplet, nor did I kill them all, but after a short while they started to retreat, pulling back into the vent. The pests that had reattached themselves to me released me and crawled back into the vent.

I de-equipped my blasters, stumbling from energon loss and sprawling forward, landing halfway against Bumblebee on my side. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was his optics remaining dark.

...

"Sam? Bumblebee?" I heard dimly. I willed my optics to come on and groaned, trying to sit up. My entire body ached and burned, and I could see why. Bumblebee and I were lying in a puddle of where our energon had leaked and mixed on the ground. I grimaced and sat up, noting it was Raf that had woken us all up. Bulkhead was on the ground but awake, and I turned around when Bumblebee groaned to see him sit up as well.

"You guys look awful, but don't worry; Miko and I fixed the ground bridge. We can send the scraplets to the Arctic and then Ratchet can fix you guys. Are you guys okay?" Raf asked. Bulkhead spoke up.

"Yeah, we're a little chewed up, but we'd have been a lot worse if it wasn't for Sam. I've never seen anything like it, she wouldn't go down, and she just blasted about a hundred scraplets before they left. She was more concerned about us than herself, she didn't even try to get those pests off of her after Bumblebee and I went down." Bulkhead said. I looked at the floor in modesty.

"I was just going with my instincts." I said. Bumblebee nudged me, and I winced in pain.

"Sorry. And don't be modest, if it wasn't for you we'd all be dead. Even so, I think you're the one that was injured the worst." Bumblebee said. Raf nodded.

"Bee's right, you do look pretty bad. We need to hurry up and get the scraplets out of here so Ratchet can come in." Raf said. Miko stepped up from behind Bulkhead.

"About that, there's some bad news." Miko said. "One of you guys is going to have to be bait, the scraplets just won't fly into the Arctic by themselves."

Bumblebee shifted, getting shakily to his feet.

"I'll do it." Bee said. Raf looked at him concernedly.

"Are you sure, Bee?" he asked. Bumblebee nodded, walking near the ground bridge. Raf went and programmed the coordinates before opening the bridge.

"The scraplets should be attracted by the energy from the ground bridge, once they see you, hurry and lead them through before they latch onto you." Raf said. Seemingly right on queue, scraplets started pouring into the main hangar. Bulkhead and I got down low, and Bumblebee waved, getting the small parasites' attention. They turned evil instantly, heading for him. Bee turned, limping through the ground bridge as hundreds of scraplets blindly followed him. About a minute after the last one disappeared, Bumblebee came back and the ground bridge closed behind him. He tripped and went to his knees, but we were all relieved.

Raf called Ratchet and Optimus in from his phone, which was a good thing because we were all leaking energon like a broken faucet. Ratchet took in the scene as soon as he walked in, and his brow furrowed as he went into 'medic' mode.

"Which one of you is hurt the worst?" he asked. Bumblebee and Bulkhead both pointed at me, and I sighed. Ratchet knelt by me, examining my wounds, before standing and helping me up. I grimaced, limping heavily to the med-bay and sitting on the table Ratchet left me by.

"Scraplet attacks usually are heavily damaging if not fatal, all three of you need energon transfusions and treatment for your wounds." Ratchet said, not talking to anyone in particular. He hung something up and turned to me, wordlessly taking my arm and jabbing a needle into it before leaving. I flinched when he did so, and looked down to see the needle was attached to a tube, which was in turn connected to a container of liquid energon. Ratchet came back helping Bulkhead, and Bee was limping along behind them. I shifted painfully, and Ratchet sat Bulkhead down and put Bumblebee on a table like I was.

We all looked terrible, scraplet bites and trails marked our armor everywhere, and though I admit I was hurt the worst, Bumblebee didn't look good either.

"How is it that you three aren't piles of scrap by now?" Ratchet asked, setting up energon drips for Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Bulkhead spoke for me again.

"It was Sam, she saved our tails back there. She went in a sort of zone after Bumblebee and I went down, she was unstoppable, Ratchet. I've never seen a bot able to keep going after they're covered in scraplets, but she managed it on top of warding 'em off me and Bumblebee." Bulkhead said. Ratchet looked surprised, tending to Bee quickly before going back to me.

Ratchet laid me back on the table, turning his hand into a torch and starting to weld the deeper scraplet wounds closed on my body. I held still the best I could, but I'd liken the pain to dumping alcohol in an open wound. Ratchet admired my stillness as well.

"You're quite the soldier, most bots I know wouldn't stay as quiet as you are when they're being put back together." Ratchet said.

"Uh, thanks? I'm just glad those two are okay." I said, nodding towards Bee and Bulkhead. Ratchet glanced up at them before going back to work.

"May I ask what it was that compelled you to protect them?" Ratchet said. I shrugged.

"Instinct? I saw them being attacked and had to help them. Besides, you guys are my family now. You took me in and helped me after I got turned into one of you. This may not be the life I had planned on...but it's a pretty great one regardless." I said. Ratchet didn't look at me, but cracked a rare grin. Bumblebee caught it and spoke in mock horror.

"Ratchet just smiled? Primus, it's the end of the world!" Bee said. This earned mutual laughs from Bulkhead and I, but Ratchet almost ended up giving me a scorch mark when I moved.

"Would you hold still?!" Ratchet snapped. I gave him a sheepish look and froze, letting him continue his work.

…...

A couple painful hours for me and painstaking for Ratchet later, the scraplet wounds were soldered shut and I had regained the large volume of energon that I'd lost. I was definitely going to need a paint job, but I was feeling much better. I swung my legs over the side of the table where I'd been laying, and surprisingly Ratchet didn't protest. I glanced at the I.V in my arm, and Ratchet wordlessly pulled it out. I stood, testing my strength and balance, and, satisfied as I could be, turned to Ratchet.

"Thanks, you saved my life." I said. Ratchet gave a small smile, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"No, my friend, you saved all our lives." Ratchet said. I looked away, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Thanks. So, uh...how about a touch-up on the paint?" I asked. Ratchet good-naturedly rolled his optics.

"I'm sure Jack would be more than willing to help you." Ratchet said. I nodded, going off to find him.

After searching a few minutes, I didn't see him, or Arcee for that matter, but I did find Optimus and asked him. Optimus turned, giving me a soft look as I approached.

"Your bravery was very admirable, Sam. You not only saved Bumblebee and Bulkhead, but the rest of us as well by getting rid of the scraplets." Optimus said. I humbly ducked my head.

"Thank you. I'd gladly give my life for any of you." I said.

"And we would readily do the same, young friend." Optimus said. I changed the subject, asking him what I had been wondering.

"Have you seen Jack? Or Arcee for that matter?" I asked. Optimus nodded.

"Check the top of the mesa." he said. I nodded my thanks, heading for the trail that wound all the way to the top of the mesa the base was built in. The sun was just starting to set, and I located Arcee standing near a cairn of stones. Jack was by her side. I walked quietly up to them, something about their mood was somber and I didn't want to disturb them.

"Hey..." I said. Arcee glanced behind her, turning a bit when she saw it was me.

"Hey Sam." she said, an edge of something I hadn't heard in her voice before, sadness. I could tell instantly, and I walked up to her side.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. Arcee started to shake her head, then sighed.

"Today is what's wrong. I guess I'll just always remember this date having bad associated with it." Arcee said. I moved in front of her, showing I was willing to listen. She hung her head.

"One year ago today, my partner Cliffjumper was killed." she said, turning to the cairn behind her. I gave her a look of sympathy.

"I'm so sorry. Was it a Decepticon...?" I asked. She nodded.

"Starscream... I swear on my life, the next time I get him alone he's going to wish he never murdered my partner." Arcee said. I put a hand on my shoulder.

"At least there's something good out of this day." I said, trying to cheer her up.

"And what is that?" she said, staring out at the sunset.

"You still have your team. Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, me. Even though the three of us are a bit chewed up right now, we're alive, and that's all that matters." I said, continuing and looking down at Jack. "Besides, I was going to ask Jack if he didn't mind giving me a new paint job." I said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the abrupt ending in the last chapter, I wasn't planning on continuing this fanfic but since it already has so many views I guess I'll try to update it whenever I can.**

…**...**

Arcee looked me up and down, then sighed.

"I guess that wouldn't be a bad idea... Alright." Arcee said. I smiled, turning and leaving her to her own grieving. Jack followed me, though I saw him glance back at Arcee, who was standing absolutely still at the edge of the mesa and staring into the sunset.

"So, uh, Sam. I guess you can drive home with me, just tell Arcee. I can start your paint work tomorrow. Jack said. I smiled as we made our way back down to the main hangar of the base. I transformed when we did, telling Optimus we were leaving and waiting for Jack to get his helmet so we could return to his home. He somewhat tentatively eased onto the seat of my vehicle mode and I pulled out slowly, talking as I went.

"Don't worry Jack, I don't bite. I may have the same attitude as before, but I _am_ a motorcycle after all now. You don't bother me." I said. Jack relaxed a bit, and I started back towards Jasper, contacting Arcee as I did.

"Jack and I are heading for his place, you don't have to worry about him, I'll take care of him until tomorrow. And Arcee, go easy on yourself." I said.

…...

…...

I had been with the Autobots for almost half a year, and so much had changed in such a short time. Relics were appearing everywhere, and we'd even had a new addition to team Prime. A young Autobot named Smokescreen had appeared on earth, and was valuable as a fighter. Unfortunately, he wasn't as familiar with how to not blow our cover. He was getting better though, and I did my best to be a friend. A bit of good news, we'd found out that Silas and MECH had been terminated, though the Decepticon threat still hung over our heads.

I was daydreaming in the main hangar when Smokescreen got my attention.

"Hey Sam, wanna go for a drive?" he asked. I nodded.

"Alright, but stay in vehicle mode at all times and we aren't going through town." I said. Smokescreen sighed.

"Alright." he said. He transformed into his vehicle mode, a white and blue race car with double 38's on the doors. I transformed as well, driving at an easy pace out of the base. Smokescreen followed, then sped up next to me.

"Race me?" he asked.

"Not today." I replied. I was pretty even with him as far as speed, but I also had nitro and less wind resistance. He said nothing, but his engine revved and he floored it ahead of me. I called ahead.

"Smokescreen! Listen to an order for once, will you?" I said, speeding to catch up. He laughed, slamming on the brakes and pulling up even with me.

"Sure, but since when are you Optimus?" he asked. I sighed, and would've facepalmed if I hadn't been in vehicle mode.

"I'm just saying..." I said. Smokescreen huffed, staying quiet. I drove in silence, trying to enjoy the desert scenery, but I heard an engine rev and was about to reprimand Smokescreen again, but a red sports car shoved in between both of us, nearly making us both lose control. I screeched to a halt, Smokescreen following suit, and I groaned inwardly when I recognized the paint job of the car.

"Hey, watch it you jerk!" Smokescreen said. I pulled forward, then transformed. Smokescreen was confused.

"Sam?! You just blew our cover!" he yelled. I glanced back at him.

"No I didn't." I said. At this, the car transformed into Knockout, and I armed my wrist blades, standing defensively. Smokescreen took this as a sign to transform, and he stood a bit behind me.

"Who the slag is that?" he asked. Knockout grinned, and I glanced back at Smokescreen.

"His name is Knockout. Watch yourself, he's a 'Con." I said. Knockout smiled, bringing out his staff that he'd injured Bumblebee and I with a while ago.

"That I am. And lucky me, I was supposed to be running recon, but it looks like I found myself some strays from the Autobot ranks. Megatron will be pleased if I return you to the ship for questioning." Knockout said, powering on his spear and lunging. I ducked, and since Smokescreen had had special training on Cybertron, I wasn't worried about him...that is unless he got cocky. I darted in, slashing with my wrist blades and gouging Knockout's back and side. He whirled, smacking me with the butt of his spear, and as I went to use my commlink, he zapped me briefly, causing a flash of pain to bolt through my frame and shorting out my commlink.

Smokescreen was starting to get reckless, as I feared, and Knockout sent him flying with the shaft of his spear. I struggled to my feet, and Smokescreen did the same as Knockout faced me. I stood defensively, and Smokescreen managed to blast Knockout, leaving a fair sized wound, but also marring Knockout's finish in the process. He snarled, drawing back as his spear crackled electricity. Smokescreen's optics widened, and I made a split second decision, not having time to think about the repercussions.

"Smokescreen, run!" I said, throwing myself in front of him and pushing him backwards, almost making him fall on his aft. Knockout's spear connected between my shoulders and I stiffened, the massive charge of electricity frying my circuits. I hit my knees, Knockout still not letting up, and I choked out to Smokescreen one last time.

"Go!" I yelled. He looked at me sadly, then transformed and whipped around, flooring it away from us. I only had a slight sense of relief before my optics went dark and I blacked out.

…...

I woke, my senses fuzzy, seemingly instantly. I realized I was lying on a metal floor, and when I flicked my gaze upwards, I suppressed a gasp.

Megatron himself was standing over me, and he was flanked by a number of soldiers. I tried to scramble backwards, but Megatron ordered two of his guards forward.

"Restrain her." he said. I thrashed and struggled the best I could but was soon held firmly in the grip of the two soldiers. Knockout stepped forward from behind me, instantly complaining about how Smokescreen and I had marred his paint job. Megatron glared.

"Enough, Knockout. Take this Autobot, but I want her alive, do you understand me? She could be a valuable subject for your testing of synthetic energon." Megatron said. Knockout bowed.

"I live to serve, lord Megatron." he said, gesturing for the soldiers to take me down a hall. I kicked and writhed like I was possesed, but the guards kept their hold and stepped through a door that opened automatically at their approach. My optics widened at the array of surgical tools and horror instilling instruments that were lined around a table. Knockout strolled in behind us, casually checking the sharpness of his claws.

"Put her on the table." he said.

…**...**

** Ha ha, cliffhanger. And btw, I've gotten an idea from a fan to give Sam some sort of power, but I need help to figure out what kind of power she'll have and how she's going to be able to get/use it. Comments or PM's are GREATLY appreciated.**


	3. Note

**Hey everyone, good and bad news. Good news, I have an idea for the next chapter of New girl in Town and will try to post soon, bad news, I've hit a writers block for Black Ops, whoever has read it will know what I'm talking about. I could really use ideas of any kind for that story, and I'd like to ask for some help on New girl in Town as well. I've decided HOW Sam is going to get powers, I just don't know WHAT power to give her. I also need a bit more detail for the next chapter, so other ideas are useful as well.**

**Please, help a stuck writer out and put this in the review:**

**What power I should give Sam**

**Your name (so I can give you credit)**

**Possible ideas for Black Ops (don't have to, but is appreciated)**

**Any other ideas/ comments you may have for me**

**PLEEEEEEEEAAAASSSEEEE! I am begging you guys, HELP A POOR GAL OUT! **

**Thank you all, Aurrawings out! ^~^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, even if I don't get to it quite this chapter, though I think I will, I want to credit TimeLordBud for his idea ahead of time. Thanks again for helping a stuck writer out, and don't worry the rest of you, your ideas are archived for a possible later date. Even if I may not use them, I give credit to anyone that was kind enough to toss me some ideas. This includes MD and SolarFlarePrime, as well as anyone else who helped! ^~^**

…**...**

I thrashed as the two guards lifted me to the table in the middle of the room. Managing to yank one of my feet free, I smashed it into one soldier's face, satisfaction ensued when he jerked back with a cracked visor. Wordlessly, they clamped my wrists to the table and my feet as well. I pulled desperately, fear rising in my chest as Knockout waved them out of the room.

Smirking, he placed a claw under my chin.

"Such a nice design, pity." Knockout said, digging his claw in suddenly. I gasped and leaned my head back, trying to escape the pressure. He withdrew, and I felt a drop of energon well under my chin. I pulled at the cuffs, only succeeding in scratching my paint and amusing Knockout.

"Now now Sam, don't be like that. You're going to be an incredibly useful subject to the Decepticon cause." Knockout said. I glared.

"I'd rather go offline!" I spat. Knockout sighed, then equipped his saw and held it dangerously close to my face.

"It can be arranged, so if I were you I'd pipe down." he said. I pulled at the cuffs again when he turned his back, going to one of the trays next to the table. When he turned back again, he was holding a large syringe of glowing green liquid. I tried not to look scared, though I was, and defiantly growled a warning.

"Get whatever that is away from me!" I said. Knockout crossed back over to me, gesturing to the syringe.

"You mean this? Oh, this is just synthetic energon. Your own medic created it, but it was...flawed. Hopefully, the way I upgraded it will be beneficial. Though you must realize if it is successful, I'll have to kill you. I glared.

"You're going to kill me anyway." I said. Knockout merely smirked, then pinned my arm to the table, jabbing the syringe's needle into my armor and fully depressing the synthetic energon into my system. Immediately, what felt like fire surged through me and I couldn't help crying out. Pure agony tore through me as the sensation spread throughout my entire body, and just when I thought I couldn't stand it, I blacked out.

…...

When I woke, I was immensely confused, especially because of the scene before me. The room where I'd been kept was now in ruins, Knockout was nowhere to be found, and somehow I was in the back of the room, not bound to the table. My entire body felt as if it were on pins and needles, and I couldn't think clearly. I shook my head, trying to focus, and remembered what Knockout had done to me. I got to my feet shakily, then stumbled and tripped, falling sideways. When I hit the floor, something sent a weak and strange jolt through me. It was not painful, and I glanced down to see two staffs lying where I'd fallen.

One looked like what Knockout had shocked me with before, and the other I didn't recognize, though I knew it had to be another relic of the primes. Wary, because I knew the room had to be bugged, I activated my commlink and prayed it would work.

"Ratchet? I don't know if you can hear me but I'm in deep trouble. Knockout has done something to me, and things are getting sketchy in here. Please, if you can hear this, send a ground bridge to my exact coordinates..." I said. Glancing around, I shuffled back into a dark corner. I noticed I was also covered in small wounds, they probably were inflicted when I was out. Not knowing if Ratchet had heard me, I had never felt more scared and alone.

Then something strange happened, but I discarded it to the fact that my body was messed up at the moment. After a small twinge of pain in my head, a brief scene of when I was hanging out with the kids flashed into my mind's eye. I shook my head again, sighing and pulling my knees close to me. Whatever was in the synthetic energon was not having a good effect on me.

My limbs twitched and spasmed, and my whole body trembled. I was about to close my optics when a familiar sound caused me to look up abruptly. It was the sound of a ground bridge opening.

Thank Primus Ratchet had heard me, I had thought I was going to die on that accursed ship. The ground bridge opened a few feet away from me, and I used the wall to try and get to my feet, but my limbs didn't want to cooperate. I looked back towards the bridge to see Bumblebee jump through, concern immediately crossing his face.

"Primus, Sam. Let's get you back to the base." Bee said, pulling my arm over his shoulders and helping me through the bridge.

…...

I staggered out of the ground bridge, Bee supporting me, and the rest of the team looked at me with relief and concern. Smokescreen took a few steps forward, gratitude on his face.

"You saved my tail back there. Thank you, Sam" he said. I waved him off.

"No prob, I'd do it for any of you guys." I said.

"And we would gladly do the same for you, young friend." Optimus said. I nodded, then another spasm seized my frame, one a lot more powerful than the others, and Bee supported most of my weight as my limbs twitched and sent twinges of pain around my body. Ratchet scanned me, the scanner staying red the entire time. I looked up at him, still trembling, and he motioned for Bee to help me walk.

"Get her to my lab." Ratchet said, heading there himself. Bee mostly carried me there, sitting me on a table and getting out of Ratchet's way. He left the two of us, heading to the main hangar, and Ratchet pulled a light out, getting my attention.

"Sam, follow the light, don't move your head." he said. I blinked as he shined it in my right optic, and I did follow it briefly, though I couldn't help darting my gaze rapidly in every direction as well. Ratchet frowned at my reaction, then seemed to notice something and leaned back a bit.

"Do you know exactly what Knockout did to you?" Ratchet asked. I nodded shakily.

"He s-said something about testing synthetic energon on m-me... he s-said you were the one that m-made it, but h-he altered it somehow..." I said, frustrated I couldn't concentrate on any one thing. Ratchet looked away briefly.

"What he said was true, but I destroyed the supply of what I'd created, it had too many side effects. He must have found a residual sample and reverse engineered it." Ratchet said. "I know how to reverse the effects, though it may seem a bit old fashioned." he said. I grimaced as another spasm shook my frame.

"I don't c-care. I trust you." I said. Ratchet nodded, leaving momentarily and coming back with several energon transfusions. I looked at him questioningly as he rigged one over my head.

"Let's just say by personal experience I know what this substance does to you. Even a small sample will diffuse in your system and turn your normal energon into synthetic energon. We need to get the synth-en out of your system and replace it with what is compatible to your systems." Ratchet said, connecting a line into my arm and starting the normal energon flowing into my system. Taking another line, this one connected to nothing, he stuck the needle in a main line in my other arm, the synth-en immediately welling into the line and draining to the end that Ratchet had placed in a container.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure this is disposed of for good when we're through. Since I made sure the inflow of good energon is the same as the outflow of the bad, you shouldn't feel any difference, hopefully you'll start to have improvement in a while. I'll just keep replacing the good transfusion until we're finished." Ratchet explained. I nodded, lying back on the table because I knew it would be a while.

"Do you want something done with your other wounds?" he asked. I glanced at the small scuffs and cuts, shaking my head.

"I'm f-fine..." I answered. Ratchet shrugged.

"Suit yourself." he said, turning away from me. I closed my optics momentarily, only to have another brief and odd slash of pain burn through my processor. I grimaced, then a pain hit me like I'd had my head run over by a semi. Instinctively, I curled forward, clutching my head in my hands, and a scene flashed before my eyes again, though this one was longer and completely took over all my senses. It also didn't make any sense.

I saw Megatron, standing at the far edge of a massive desert and holding a weapon unlike I'd ever seen. The view jerked over to Optimus, standing at the other side of the desert and holding a weapon of his own. A glowing sword, nearly as long as he was tall, was held in his hand. The vision changed, now Optimus' sword was broken on the ground and Optimus himself had been overpowered. He was lying helplessly on his back, Megatron's foot planted on his chest as he raised his own sword...

I gasped and came back to my senses, only to realize that nearly everyone was standing around me. I put a hand to my head, which was throbbing, and looked from 'bot to 'bot. I felt immensely better besides my headache, and I looked at Ratchet.

"What happened?" I groaned. Ratchet shook his head.

"I was hoping you could tell me." Ratchet said.

"I-I don't know. My head hurt and then suddenly I saw Megatron standing in a desert. He had a sword, but not like one I'd ever seen. It was dark and radiated a purple mist...If a sword could look evil, this one did. And then I saw Optimus," I said, looking at him. "he had a sword too, but it glowed blue. Then I saw Optimus's sword broken and Megatron raising his own blade, ready to drive it into Optimus' Spark..." I said, trailing off and looking at Optimus in sympathy. Optimus thought a moment, then spoke.

"I am not certain what Sam has seen, but I would make the assumption that she has somehow developed a power likened to the one possessed by my old mentor. His name was Alpha Trion." Optimus said, his optics fading a bit in memory. I looked at him, tilting my head slightly.

"And what would that power be?" I asked, curious and a bit scared.

"The ability to see the past, as well as the future."

…**...**

**Phew, another chapter done! Thanks again, everybody, for your support and ideas. I've got a lot to keep this going for a few more chapters, but if I get stuck I know I can count on my fans! Please review, your opinions are worth more to me than favorites! Aurrawings out! :3**


	5. Chapter 5

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute Optimus, you're saying Sam somehow just acquired Alpha Trion's power?" Smokescreen said in disbelief.

"I see no other explanation as to what has happened to our young friend." Optimus said. Ratchet looked at me.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" Ratchet asked. I thought hard, then looked up in consideration.

"After I woke up in the holding cell I was in, the room was in shambles and I had a few cuts, but I don't even know how." I said. Ratchet commented before I went on.

"Yes, synthetic energon greatly enhances the physical strength of the user, but I fear it also takes a toll on their mind." Ratchet said. I continued.

"I tried to get up, but I stumbled and fell into the two relics that Knockout keeps handy, that energy spear and the shield generator. It felt like the spear shocked me, but it didn't feel the same as when I'd been shocked with it before... I don't know, my processor is really messed up right now..." I said. Right after this, I grimaced at a stab of pain and a short scene of when I'd first met Knockout and he ran me off the road. I involuntarily gasped in a breath, and Ratchet looked up at Optimus.

"Do you have any idea on how she can control this power? It obviously pains her..." Ratchet said. Optimus shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, old friend." Optimus said. Ratchet scanned me again, and he looked from Optimus to me.

"Perhaps if I could study her processor I could figure out what is going on, but of course I won't do this without her consent." Ratchet said. Optimus nodded, turning his gaze to me.

"If it is possible to control, Sam's gift could be a valuable one to our cause. Sam, would you agree to this?" Optimus said. I focused past the ache in my head, looking up at he and Ratchet.

"If it will help stop my head from hurting, and we can figure out how to control it, by all means do it." I said. Optimus nodded, ordering everyone out of the med-bay. Ratchet worked briskly but not urgently, lying me back on the table where I was. He attached a Spark monitor to the side of my chest, and the beat was projected onto a small screen. Ratchet then connected a line a bit to the left of the center of my chest, going over to his computer as he did.

"I'm inducing stasis now, just relax." Ratchet said, typing something before pulling a lever. A low hiss reached my ears, and I started to get drowsy. On Ratchet's word, I let myself relax, welcoming the black wave of unconsciousness from my aching head.

…...

~3rd person~

Ratchet turned back to Sam after she slipped into stasis, and he then started attaching diodes to various parts of Sam's helm. After programming his computer again, he pulled another lever and Sam's entire sub-conscious started downloading into his computer. He sorted through it as it downloaded, setting aside her memories from the odd bits that kept popping up, such as an event that happened before she was even born or something that was said to happen after the current time. Ratchet cataloged these for a later time, but he couldn't figure out what was or had caused Sam to acquire this strange power.

As he was doing this, her Spark rate suddenly jumped and a new stream of data flowed into his computer. He called over Optimus, recognizing the script as being encoded the same way as the Iacon files.

"Optimus, I believe Sam is experiencing another vision as we speak, can you decipher what is happening?" Ratchet said. Optimus's optics decrypted the script almost as soon as it appeared.

"I am not certain what Sam is hearing or seeing, but I do know this...whatever message is being relayed is from Alpha Trion himself..." Optimus said.

…...

**Sorry for the short chapter, I have writers block again. Though you know Sam's power now, I'm a bit stuck as to what to do next...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey my fans! Thanks for all your continued support and I'd like to thank TimeLordBud again for another idea. He knows what, but you all will just have to read and find out! Sorry if i'm rushing things... **

…**...**

Sam's POV~

From the dark and quiet of my induced stasis, I was suddenly transported to another place, where an ancient, wise looking bot was waiting. I made a wild guess and looked up in awe.

"Alpha Trion?" I asked. The bot smiled, giving a small nod and answering with a gentle but deep voice that seemed to echo from the past.

"Yes child. Are you aware why you are here?" he asked. I shook my head and Alpha Trion chuckled. "You have been given the gift that I myself possessed in my lifetime, I made sure of that. I have a message for you, young one. Your powers may be uncontrollable, but do not disregard the images you may see. When you are able to control them, your powers will be invaluable to your team, but I warn you, it will make you valued beyond imagination to the Decepticons. You are destined to do something great, and I have more to tell you." Alpha Trion said. I nodded intently, still trying to process the 'destined for greatness' thing.

"Because you require additional protection and fighting power, you will receive an upgrade when you wake. Think of it as a gift from me from beyond my resting place." Alpha Trion said with a small smile. He finished with one last thing as I had the feeling of being slowly pulled away. "And tell your team to expect a long lost friend to return to them." he said in farewell.

~3rd person~

Ratchet turned to Sam when he sensed her stir, and he quickly got Optimus' attention as well. Her frame was rapidly being enveloped in a bright blue light, which steadily grew brighter. Before long, they both had to look away when the light became too harsh. When they looked back, Ratchet gaped in surprise.

Sam had obviously received an upgrade, though he wasn't certain how. Her polished black armor was now a deep purple, and she had gained some height as well as become sturdier. It was apparent she already had an alternate mode, though now it appeared she could transform into a car of some sort. Sam's optics flickered on, and she sat up with a groan, a hand to her head.

"Did you find anything out?" she asked, groggy from stasis. She looked down, and was instantly shocked.

"Whoa...what happened to me?" Sam asked. Ratchet shook his head in answer.

"I'm not certain...We pulled a few of your memories that seemed not to belong, and they are encrypted just like the Iacon files, so Optimus can decode them whenever we find time. As for your appearance, I can only assume you've received an upgrade of some sort." Ratchet said. Sam stood, first uneasily and then with more confidence.

"I...I think I remember something. When I was out, Alpha Trion spoke to me." she said. Optimus motioned for her to continue, wanting to hear what she had. She relayed the entire experience as she had seen it, finishing with the long lost friend bit.

"I didn't know who that friend could be, I thought maybe you knew." Sam said.

"I'm not certain who it could be either, as far as I know, Wheeljack and Smokescreen are the only other bots besides us on earth." Ratchet said. Sam looked down at herself, then at Ratchet.

"I'm itching to see what my car mode is, permission to go for a drive?" she asked. Ratchet glanced at Optimus, who nodded.

"Fine, but take someone with you in case you may be ambushed again and take it easy since you're still recovering from being in stasis and your synthetic energon infusion." Ratchet said. Sam headed out to the main hangar where Smokescreen and Bumblebee were standing.

"Who wants to go for a drive?" Sam asked. Smokescreen glanced at Bee, then stepped back.

"You can go this time." Smokescreen said. Bee made a small series of beeps then transformed into his alternate mode, revving to go. Sam looked at herself, then transformed into her new alternate mode. Smokescreen whistled in admiration as Sam drove in a slow circle.

"Wow, a Spyker C12 Zagato? Where'd you find that to scan?" he said. Sam would've shrugged if she hadn't been in car mode.

"Dunno, it came with the upgrade I guess." Sam said. She was indeed now a Spyker C12 Zagato. Her paint job was a deep purple, with chrome on her rims and air intake unique to that type of vehicle. The windows and windshield were tinted out with orange too. With a brief 'see you later' Sam followed Bumblebee out of the base.

…...

~Sam's POV~

I tested my new vehicle mode, finding it less aerodynamic but just as fast as my old speed bike. The feeling of being stabilized on the ground instead of having to balance was new as well, and Bee drove happily next to me, though he was curious about all that happened. I decided to speak first.

"Thanks for saving my aft back there." I said. Bee chuckled.

"No problem. We all take hits, but being captured is a new one...Smokescreen still hasn't forgiven himself for it." Bee said. I would have rolled my optics had I not been a car at the moment.

"I'll need to tell him to forget about it. He has a big ego, but a big Spark to go with it." I said. Bee was quiet a moment, then spoke.

"He gets on my nerves sometimes. Whenever I can take Raf and get out of the base I make sure I do." Bee said. I changed the subject a bit as we both pulled to a stop at a deserted intersection before turning parallel to the base that was now a few miles away.

"What's it like being a guardian? I mean, Ratchet and Optimus aren't guardians, but I can see why since they're the medic and the leader. Smokescreen just seems to irresponsible, but the other three of you..." I trailed off.

"I'm sure if you find the right person you could be a guardian. I think we all worry too much about the kids, we don't want them to get hurt but they're also a part of our world now." Bee said. I affirmed.

"That makes sense. I don't want to get anyone involved in our affairs though if I can help it." I said.

"We had the same thoughts, that's why very few people know about us, it could be dangerous to the human race." Bee continued. I was going to agree again, but a flash of pain shot through me and I slowed, pulling to a stop. Bee hit reverse and came back.

"What is it? Another vision? If you're wondering, Ratchet explained to us all while you were out." Bee said, concerned.

"I think so..." I said. My vision suddenly zoomed out from our current position to several miles outside of Jasper. All I saw was a scene of chaos and a single Decepticon shot fire into the ground before I returned to my senses. I revved my engine when I did.

"Don't worry I'm okay. It didn't really make sense though." I said, starting to head back to the base. It was then that Ratchet came over our commlinks, a serious tone in his voice.

"Sam, Bumblebee, I'm picking up an energy signature, Autobot in origin, outside of Jasper." Ratchet said. I shuddered inwardly, this must have been what I'd just seen. Ratchet continued, "Scans show several Decepticon forces gaining on them. Optimus' orders are to intercept them before they reach Jasper and hold off the Decepticons until we can bridge you all back. There's something else, whoever it is has just activated their distress beacon, they must know that we're around to help them." Ratchet said.

"On it Ratchet." I said.

"Don't exert yourself too fully!" he managed before I disconnected. I made my engine roar, tires spinning before they found purchase and I blazed forward.

"Come on Bee, you heard him!" I said. Bee did a good job of keeping up with me, even though he was slightly less aerodynamic and lacked the power I did. We skirted Jasper, heading out to intercept whoever was hailing us. It didn't take us long to locate the fight. The Decepticon fire was visible from a distance, and as we sped closer I made out who must have been the distressed Autobot. I was surprised at their vehicle mode, assuming they must have come from quite a ways instead of being close to Nevada.

A black Bugatti Veyron with gold rims and highlights was whipping back and forth on the road trying to dodge the fire. Bee and I sped past him, and I shouted as I went.

"We're here to help!" I yelled. I checked all around us to make sure there was no one that could expose us, then signaled to Bee as we both transformed. I didn't know what weapons I had anymore, but armed what I did have and was surprised at the firepower Alpha Trion had given me.

Instead of my small blasters I'd had before, two plasma cannons were now mounted on my forearms that when I fired, seemed even more powerful than Bee's weapons. I noticed Bee glance at the car with something like he was trying to remember if he knew who it was, then turned his attention back to the battle. Thankfully, a swirling ground bridge opened up not far from us and I shouted to the Bugatti.

"Go! We're right behind you!" I said. The Bugatti tore through the ground bridge without saying a word, and Bee and I fired as we walked backward. As the forces were pushed back, we whirled and ran through the bridge that then closed behind us.

I arrived in the base in time to see the passenger door of the Bugatti swing open and about an early twenties guy get out. His gaze looked haunted, as if something terrible had happened to him to him in his recent past besides nearly being fried by a Decepticon. I waited in curiosity for the Bugatti to transform, and he did without a word. Evidently he and most of my team knew each other, because his optics darted from bot to bot as he turned to see everyone. His voice, quiet but with a hard edge, as if he'd seen more of life then he cared to, bounced through the main hangar as he spoke quietly.

"Optimus? Ratchet, Bulkhead, and...Bumblebee? And who are the new bots?" he said, confused. I spoke up.

"Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but who are you?" I asked. Optimus glanced at me, then stepped up to the stranger, whose human companion stuck close to him. Optimus looked down at the newcomer, a warm smile on his face as he laid a hand on the stranger's shoulder.

"Prowl, old friend, it's been a long time." he said.

…...

**Ha, did you expect that? Sorry for the cliffhanger, it makes it easier for me to start the next chapter. Anyone have an idea for a filler chapter? There has to be some lull between the action, and though I know my next action scene, I repeat that I could always use ideas for this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Another week another chapter, right? I apologize for the boring bit at the beginning**

**but it was necessary. I may do more on Prowl's human friend later, if I can come up with somethin... Oh, and for anyone that reads my story Black Ops, I am sorry for the really long delays for chapters. Writers block, thou art a heartless bitch... anyway, I'm pretty much stuck in that story until I get ideas, so again, sorry. I AM NOT GIVING IT UP, jus so you all know, so don't get discouraged, kay?**

…**...**

I was confused, as were Arcee and Smokescreen by the looks on their faces, but the rest of my team was staring at the newcomer, Prowl, with deep interest. Bulkhead stepped up, eying Prowl and shaking his head in remembrance.

"Prowl, old buddy, is it really you?" he asked. Prowl managed a weak smile.

"Yes, I'm back, I guess." he said. Bee went to him as well, and though I knew Prowl could understand him, he seemed a bit taken aback when Bee didn't actually speak.

"Where have you been all these years? I thought you went offline!" Bumblebee said in excitement. Prowl looked at him, tilting his head slightly.

"What happened to you, Bumblebee? If you can forgive my answering a question with a question." Prowl said. Bee rubbed the back of his neck, and I felt sympathetic since he had told me the whole story in detail.

"After you were separated from us, I had my voice box ripped out by Megatron...I-I'll never be able to actually talk again..." Bee said. Prowl dipped his head briefly in sympathy, then explained to what used to be his team what had happened.

"After I lost you all on Cybertron during the war, I feared the worst and took refuge in the capitol. I thought I could better serve my cause with further training, so I pursued the course of a cyber-ninja. Although I was there just long enough to be qualified and receive my weapons, the collapse of Cybertron was imminent. My master forced me to jettison off-world and I ended up on this planet, though after I crash-landed I remained in stasis for a period of time. Currently, I've been working with the Detroit police department and helping to keep their city safe, but I thought I was the only Autobot on this planet, that is, until I found out about you. The human next to me is Zachary Kimbl, I am his guardian, if you were wondering." Prowl said, gesturing to the young man by his foot.

The guy was young, but not as young as even Jack. I'd call him maybe twenty three or twenty five. He was well built, not skinny, but not ripped either, and stood an average height. Even from here, his dirty blonde hair and odd green eyes were visible.

"You are not the first to find a human companion, old friend. A few of us have found young charges as well. Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee are also guardians." Ratchet said, gesturing to each as he said their name. Prowl looked confused.

"Arcee? And who are these other two that I don't recognize?" Prowl said, looking from Smokescreen to me. Optimus had a long time to introduce all of us and tell Prowl our back story and history. When it was explained to Prowl that I hadn't even been an Autobot for a full year, he seemed incredibly awestruck and curious.

"Fascinating, it seems like I have much to catch up on." Prowl said. Zachary still stuck close to Prowl, who then knelt and spoke quietly, apparently trying to convince him that he was safe now. Prowl glanced up at us.

"You wouldn't happen to have anyone that could take him around, do you?" Prowl asked. Optimus nodded at Arcee.

"Take our friend for a tour of the base, if you would, Arcee." Optimus said. Arcee nodded, gently leading Zachary away. Smokescreen spoke up a bit rudely after he and Arcee had left.

"Is there something wrong with him?" he asked. Prowl shot him a look that, if looks could kill, would have instantly put him six feet under.

"I suppose if you consider grief something wrong. Very shortly after I discovered you were residing in Jasper Nevada, Decepticons started showing up. Zachary has been my partner on the Detroit police department for over two years now, before that he was a mechanic, but I failed to protect him a few days ago... The Decepticons murdered his best friend and also killed the canine partner that Zach worked with. It was then I decided that he would be much safer if I came to you, and so we made our way here with haste." Prowl said. Optimus nodded.

"That was a wise decision, old friend." he said. Prowl glanced down the hallway where Arcee had taken Zachary. "I think it best that my friend find a place to relax, he's gone through quite a lot." Prowl said. Optimus affirmed.

"Arcee will make sure he's well taken care of." he said. Prowl agreed reluctantly, then frowned as a splitting alarm pierced the air as a red light pulsed in the base. Ratchet turned to his terminal quickly, relaying quickly over the noise.

"The Decepticons are bombing the area, including our base. I assume they are trying to find Prowl or simply us in general!" Ratchet called. Optimus turned to Prowl.

"Are you fit to fight?" he asked. Prowl dipped his head.

"Yes, I will do anything to protect Zach and our cause." Prowl said.

"Bulkhead, find Arcee and stay as backup in the base with Ratchet. The rest of you, transform and roll out!" Optimus ordered. We all transformed into our vehicle modes, and sped through the ground bridge that Ratchet opened for us. Optimus led us into the battle, but I would've gaped if I hadn't been in vehicle mode when we emerged out of the ground bridge.

More Decepticons than I could count were screaming through the sky and blowing up everything in sight. We all scattered and transformed as a missile exploded right where we'd been. I armed my cannons, glancing back to see Smokescreen to the same. Prowl dropped slightly, taking two of what would have been the rims in his vehicle mode and pulling outwards. To my surprise, I quickly learned these were his weapons.

In a matter of seconds, the rims rotated and fastened into three-pointed shurikens that Prowl quickly threw with practiced ease into the fray. Two Decepticons slammed to the earth, a wing sheared off, and I made a mental note that Prowl was more dangerous than he appeared. I blasted as many 'Cons as I could out of the air, and it seemed like we were getting a little headway in the battle.

Most of the Decepticons were now fighting on the ground, and as I backed away from a foursome that was closing on me, I bumped into someone and looked over my shoulder to see the black and gold newcomer.

"Heck of a welcoming party!" I called over the clamor. Prowl merely nodded, and I noticed he had a battle mask that was now equipped. Similar to Optimus', It covered his whole face besides his optics, though his was modeled differently and was black like his armor. A blue visor now protected his optics as well. I turned my attention to the Decepticons, firing into their midst as they scattered. Optimus' call came over my commlink and I assumed everyone heard it.

"Megatron is here! Exercise extreme caution!" Optimus said before disconnecting. I scanned the skies, spotting our enemy circling around. With dread, I noticed he had focused on Optimus, who was a few yards away in the middle of his own battle. Megatron charged up a powerful blast, and I felt time slow down before he fired. Prowl noticed a moment after I did the danger, and he called out to our leader.

"Optimus!" Prowl's voice was distant in my head, and right as Megatron fired I broke through the line of Decepticons and dove, plowing into Optimus. I was much smaller than him, but my sudden effort knocked him off balance and he fell back. Instead of hitting him, Megatron's shot plowed into the group of his soldiers that Optimus had been fighting, a magnificent explosion ensuing that literally blew the Vehicons apart. I felt a blinding, burning pain strike me in the weaker armor over my abdomen and couldn't help but wail in agony. It was more intense than anything I'd felt before, and I hit my knees, curling around my wound.

Time now resumed normal speed, and the chaos of the battle raged on as Optimus concernedly knelt by me. I risked a glance down at where I was injured and suppressed a whimper of shock.

A fairly large piece of Vehicon armor was plunged far into my stomach, the metal still red-hot and searing my circuitry even as I still laid on the ground. I writhed slightly when I couldn't take it anymore, but the slight movement sent a wave of lighting so sharp I constrained myself to merely stay as still as a stone. Optimus blasted a 'Con that got too close, and he called across the battlefield.

"Smokescreen, to me! Now!" Optimus called from behind his battle mask. Smokescreen instantly transformed, speeding to where I lay and Optimus was now standing over me. Smokescreen transformed again a few feet from me, his optics widening when he saw how badly I was hurt.

"Get Sam to cover and contact Ratchet. Do what you have to." Optimus said, charging off into the fight. Smokescreen looked around frantically, and I followed his gaze when he seemed to see something. A rock formation was not to far away, and it would provide cover from any firepower. Smokescreen knelt by me, gently taking me under my arms. I pleaded weakly not to be moved.

"I have to get you to safety Sam...I'm really sorry..." he said. Quickly, he dragged me to the rocks, my efforts to stick it out shattered as soon as he moved me a few inches. I cried out and squirmed as best as I could, but I guess it was a good thing Smokescreen didn't stop until we reached the formation. He laid me flat on my back and I heaved air through my intakes as I tried to recover from the ordeal. More than anything, I was incredibly tired and wanted nothing more than to power off my optics. When I did though, Smokescreen called my name and lightly shook my shoulder.

"No no no! Sam! Stay awake! Hang on, you're gonna be okay..." Smokescreen said, though there wasn't a lot of conviction in his voice. I choked out three short words that had been weighing on my mind since I jumped.

"Is...Optimus...ok-kay?" I managed, inwardly flinching when I felt a stream of energon trickle out of the corner of my mouth. Smokescreen put his finger to my lips.

"Don't try to talk, okay? And yeah, thanks to you he's fine." Smokescreen said, contacting Ratchet. He explained quickly, and I activated my commlink to hear the conversation as well.

"What?! Who was she injured by?" Ratchet said. Smokescreen told him, and I heard the edge of concern in his voice when he spoke again. "Listen to me, Smokescreen. Because of the dark energon that could be contaminating the object in her abdomen, you have to remove it now. I'll work to get a ground bridge up, but you have to do this if Sam is to survive." Ratchet said. I paled as Smokescreen disconnected his commlink and looked at me with a look of deep sympathy on his face.

"I'm sorry Sam, I have to." Smokescreen said, reaching for the wedge of armor jutting out of my stomach. I twitched and tried to pull away.

"No...please..." I whispered. Smokescreen apologized again, then took hold of the armor. I couldn't help but scream when he pulled it out slowly. It seemed like ten lifetimes before Smokescreen retrieved the large shard of metal and tossed it aside. When he did, I saw that the edges had been serrated and torn, which had contributed to making it harder to get out. I also felt a large quantity of my energon spill out of the wound and pool under me. Hazily, I heard a ground bridge open and Smokescreen scooped me up as carefully as he could before he ran into the bridge. My focus zoned completely out, and I let my head fall back limply as I powered off my optics. Right before I lost consciousness, I felt my frame seized by a painful and strong spasm and Smokescreen seemed to have a hard time holding on to me.

Then it all went dark.

…...

~3rd person~

Smokescreen ran into the base with Sam's unconscious body in his arms. Frighteningly, she'd started having spasms right after she passed out, and he hurried to Ratchet's lab. He laid Sam on a table and stepped back, his optics wide with concern. He didn't even notice, but his own armor was covered in Sam's energon, which was still pouring from her wound. She had continued twitching when Smokescreen put her on the table, and he looked at Ratchet.

"What's wrong with her?" he said anxiously. Ratchet replied quickly as he pointed for Smokescreen to leave.

"She's seizing from the trauma and energon loss, now leave me to my work." Ratchet said. He looked back to see Sam now lying still, and he frowned. Working quickly, he shone a light in her optics, only to get no response. Scanning her, he stepped back slightly.

"No..." he muttered as he looked at the scan.

Sam had no Spark beat.

…**...**

**Oh noes! I mostly took out my recent depression on Sam, severely injuring someone oddly helps me feel better, at least in my writing... so, is Sam forever joined with the Well of All Sparks? Find out soon! Please Read+ Review! Aurrawings out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! And so soon...I got bit by the writer's bug and HAD to finish this chapter. Well, here you go! A bit of a warning I guess, the beginning of the chapter is a little dramatic... Enjoy!**

…**...**

"No..." Ratchet muttered again, this time louder. He hurried into action, rigging up Sam to a Spark monitor, which was still flat-lining, and retrieving his defib paddles from where he stored them in his lab. He charged them up, shocking Sam and frowning when nothing happened. He repeated the same thing he had when Bulkhead had been injured.

"Sam, respond!" he said. She laid eerily still, the Spark monitor still a flat line. He jolted her again, her frame convulsively arching with the shock.

"Respond!" Ratchet repeated, despair and dread creeping into his tone. He shocked her one more time, relieved when it jump-started her Spark just enough to keep her alive. In dread, he realized that the energon supply he had processed was running dangerously low since Sam had been infected with synthetic energon, and he was fearful that she would need more that he had available. Shaking it off, he mainlined an energon pump into her arm and went to work.

Obviously, a main energon line in her abdomen had been severed, as soon as he got her Spark going again and the new energon in her system, a stream of her blood arced through the air and spattered the Spark monitor. The flashing red light of the monitor shone through the iridescent blue of Sam's energon, giving a slight purple cast to the scene. Cursing to himself, Ratchet put pressure on her abdomen, trying to locate where she was bleeding from. As soon as he let his pressure up, another splatter of energon hit him across the armor on his chest. As a medic, it didn't bother him, but as a friend, he feared for Sam's life, which still hung in the balance.

He finally located the energon line that had been severed, and performing a quick patch job, he was relieved to see her Spark rate stabilize marginally, but it soon faltered again and slowed. Frustrated since he couldn't do two things at once, he called into the main hangar.

"Smokescreen! Get in here!" Ratchet shouted. Smokescreen entered his lab quickly, looking much like Ratchet in the fact that his armor was streaked with Sam's energon. Ratchet pressed one of his hands against Sam's stomach, slowing the bleeding as he pointed with the other.

"Come here, I need you to keep her Spark going while I try and stop the bleeding. Keep a steady rhythm and press right here." Ratchet said, laying his free hand over a particular spot in the center of Sam's chest. Smokescreen did as he was told, staying out of Ratchet's way as he kept giving Sam's Spark enough of a start to keep it pulsing. Ratchet closed most of the energon lines that were still hemorrhaging into her abdomen, stepping back for a short breather when he finished.

"Very well done, you can stop now." Ratchet said to Smokescreen when Sam's Spark rate stabilized and got stronger.

Everyone had since returned from the battle, and while they all had the typical dents and new scratches in their paint, none were seriously injured. Ratchet motioned Smokescreen to go to them and tell them the news so far.

"She was injured very badly, I almost lost her. She's probably going to pull through, but she's still not out of the woods yet." Ratchet told him to say. Smokescreen nodded and left, and Ratchet returned his attention to Sam. Instead of profusely bleeding, now the gaping wound in her stomach merely seeped from the minor energon lines that didn't really need to be repaired. Although internally she was patched up, it was a daunting task to Ratchet to close the wide opening that remained.

He turned his hand into a torch, meticulously sealing her wound from the inside out. Much like if a human was injured and still slightly bleeding into their abdomen, he left a small slit for any excess energon to drain so it would not put pressure on her internal circuitry. Obviously, when her body repaired itself enough to stop seeping, he would close the wound. It was apparent she'd have a flaw in her armor permanently, but maybe at least now she would live. He disconnected the empty energon transfusion and hung the last one he had in its place. Sam still laid in a comatose state, the only thing hinting she was still alive was the weak pulse on the Spark monitor.

Ratchet sighed and turned away, he'd done all he could. Now it was up to Sam. He picked up a spare cloth from where he kept his supplies and methodically wiped his hands and armor clean of Sam's energon. He made a mental note to bring something for Smokescreen and looking back at his lab, decided he would clean up later, though it looked like a disaster.

Sam was lying in a pool of her own energon. She had bled out so much that it actually spilled over the side of the table and small rivulets streaked the floor in every direction. There were also the effects of when her wound had jetted her energon, the Spark monitor was still spattered in it and whatever hadn't hit Ratchet was now on the floor as well.

Ratchet grabbed another cloth and headed out to the main hangar where the others were anxiously waiting. Tossing the item at Smokescreen, who caught it and assumed its use, Ratchet then looked from bot to bot.

"How is her condition?" Prowl asked. He had been the only bot besides Optimus that was near her when she made her sacrifice. Ratchet shook his head.

"Not good, I'd say she has a 50/50 chance, now it's up to her whether she can rally enough to wake up." Ratchet said. Optimus was troubled, and Ratchet quickly saw this.

"Is something wrong, Optimus?" Ratchet asked. Optimus frowned, making eye contact with Ratchet.

"Sam pushed me out of harm's way. It should be me in your lab right now." Optimus said. Ratchet reached up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Optimus, you are well aware of how strongly Sam feels about all of us. This was her choice, and you also know we would all not hesitate to give our lives for you, or for each other." Ratchet said. Optimus merely nodded, turning and going over to the terminal in the main hangar and busying himself with decoding the Iacon file.

"Can I see her?" Bee asked. Ratchet considered, then affirmed.

"Alright, but she probably can't hear you. And...you may not like what you find in my lab..." Ratchet said, remembering how much energon had spilled from her wound. Bee went anyway, and though he was taken aback by the scene at first, he stepped over the energon trails on the floor and stood over Sam. An expression of sadness crossed his face and he put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Come back, Sam. We need you..." Bee said quietly. _I need you..._ Bumblebee thought to himself. Though he had told no one, not even Raf, he had had feelings for Sam from the beginning. He looked up at her Spark monitor, double-taking when he saw it was becoming stronger and more even. He called Ratchet, who came quickly. He pointed to the Spark monitor and Ratchet walked over, moving Bee back.

Ratchet opened one of Sam's optics, shining a light in it. To his surprise and delight, her optic contracted in reflex when he did, meaning her body was recovering and she was becoming conscious. He did the same thing to her other optic, getting the same response. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Can you hear my voice? Sam?" he asked. One of her fingers twitched ever so slightly, though it went unnoticed by Ratchet.

"Samantha, are you with us?" Ratchet said a bit louder. Sam did nothing, and Ratchet was about to step away. Right before he did though, Sam surprised him.

"Don't...call me...that..." she said in a broken whisper. With a great effort, she opened her optics a fraction and her gaze landed on Ratchet. He smiled and laughed in relief.

"Thank Primus you're going to be okay." he said. Bee cheered and Sam managed to make the corner of her mouth twitch up in a small smile before her optics lost focus, closed, and her face went slack. Bee frowned, looking at Ratchet, who obviously wasn't concerned.

"What happened to her?" Bee asked. Ratchet was still giddy with relief and satisfaction he'd managed to save Sam, but he answered Bumblebee anyway.

"She just passed out again. Sam is extremely weak right now, and I imagine she'd want some rest. Come on." Ratchet said, heading out of his lab.

…...

A few hours later, Sam regained consciousness and though she was still very weak, she was now alert enough to focus her attention on Optimus when he entered the lab by himself. Sam was still not strong enough to move, but her gaze followed him as he crossed the room to the table where she lay and knelt more to her level.

"Hey..." she said, her voice weak. Optimus smiled faintly.

"It is good to know you will recover, though I must ask, what compelled you to make your sacrifice? I cannot condone a single life under my care." Optimus said. Sam rolled her optics, sighing.

"Don't start...okay? What I did...was my choice...and I'm paying the consequences...for it. If I could go back...I'd do it all again...no matter if it were you...or Smokescreen or Bee...or the kids or any one of us...I'd do it for any of you..." Sam said, the most she'd spoken since she'd been injured. It obviously pained her to do so, and Optimus placed his large hand on her shoulder.

"Take comfort in the fact we would all do the same for you, Sam. Rest now." Optimus said, getting to his feet. Rising to his full height, he just caught Sam's soft reply.

"I am honored to serve...under you, Optimus Prime..." she said. Optimus nodded, turning and speaking to himself as he left.

"The honor is mine..." he said, "to serve with such a loyal soldier..."

…**...**

** So, did I surprise any of you? Hope you're all happy that Sam isn't gonna die, though did I make the repair scene a bit too graphic for T? Meh...I dunno, but anyway, hope you liked it! _I'm always open to ideas from my readers as well. If there's anything you'd like to see in this, let me know and I'll see what I can do to work it in here. _ **


	9. Chapter 9

"Easy now, Sam." Ratchet said, mostly to himself, after Sam had started shuddering and mumbling unintelligibly during her sleep. Her injury prevented too much movement, but she was still twitching. Ratchet tried shaking her lightly to wake her up, but to no avail. He pried open one of her optics, and though it contracted with the light, it held a vacant expression that wasn't normal. Mentally slapping himself when he realized it, he called in Optimus after he realized Sam was having another vision.

As Optimus walked in, Sam gasped and her optics flew open, though her gaze still saw nothing. Ratchet watched, confused, as a Cybertronian tongue he did not recognize tumbled out of her mouth. After the strange message was relayed, Sam shuddered once more before relaxing, her elevated Spark rate going back to normal. Ratchet glanced at Optimus.

"It appears Sam has had another vision, we shall have to wait until she regains consciousness in order to get her interpretation." Ratchet said, checking her vitals briefly. Optimus spoke, though it was with a tone of worry and fascination at once.

"We may not. The language she spoke was of an ancient text, Alpha Trion alone knew of it, and he taught it to me as well." Optimus said. Ratchet turned, a small frown on his face.

"Do you know what she said?" Ratchet asked. Optimus nodded.

…...

"_Beware, for your enemies are rising. Darkness shall be king, should your foes succeed. Battle will be your only sense, fear must be pushed away for favor of valiance. In your darkest hour, __one __will rise and clash with the forces that oppose. When all seems lost, look not far for your hope."_ Optimus relayed to the entire team, including Sam, who had forced herself awake long enough to hear what she herself had said. Sam tried to sit up, but grimaced in pain and resigned herself to stay on her back.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam said. Optimus shook his head.

"I was hoping you would know." he answered. Sam glanced around at the team, then spoke.

"I don't really have an interpretation, Alpha Trion didn't give me one, and I don't remember saying anything during my last vision. This one was much more unclear as well, I only caught very brief glimpses of several images... None of them were good..." Sam said gravely. Prowl frowned.

"It seems our enemies, whomever they may be, will find Zach and I wherever we flee..." Prowl said. Optimus turned to him.

"What do you mean, old friend?" Prowl dropped his gaze to the floor.

"I'm sorry Optimus, I actually wasn't planning on staying, I thought the more I could move around, the less I'd be noticed and the safer I could keep my charge. Though now..." Prowl trailed off.

"Does this mean you changed your mind?" Bee said. Prowl nodded.

"I will remain here and fight with your team, that is, if it is alright with you, Optimus." Prowl said. Optimus managed to smile in the midst of the dark news.

"Of course, you're a more than welcome addition." Optimus said.

…...

~Sam's POV

After a day, Optimus granted the kids permission to return to base, the previous events making it unsafe to do so before. When I heard the engines of Bee, Bulkhead, and Arcee returning, I got Ratchet's attention, who had his back to me at the moment.

"Hey Ratch, you mind giving me a hand?" I asked, struggling to sit up and grimacing as a dull pain shot through me. Ratchet approached me, though he looked doubtful.

"Are you sure, your injury...?" Ratchet said, glancing down at the now-sealed slash in my armor.

"Yeah. The kids are here, and I don't want to have to talk to them flat on my back." I said. Ratchet nodded, carefully and slowly pulling me up and supporting me as I made myself comfortable. I nodded my thanks, absently touching the knotted line over my stomach.

I heard Miko before I saw her, smiling bemusedly when she must have met Prowl and Zachary.

"Whoa, new people! You're a cool looking bot. Where did you come from? Are you his guardian? What kind of car do you turn into!?" Miko babbled excitedly. I laughed, though it hurt. Prowl must be a bit taken aback by her loud nature. I heard Raf next, then Jack.

"Hey, where's Sam?" Raf said.

"Yeah, is she out for a drive or something?" Jack followed up. Ratchet glanced at me, then walked to the entrance of the med-bay.

"I'm afraid she's far from that." Ratchet said. Raf frowned first.

"Is she hurt?" he asked. Ratchet merely stepped aside, gesturing to his lab, and I smiled when Miko ran in, Jack and Raf not far behind.

"Sam! What happened?!" Jack said, glancing around the med-bay. Ratchet had done his best to clean up after my ordeal, but spatters of dried energon still streaked the floor and I hadn't had a chance to clean my armor, so I looked worse than I actually was. I also forgot that the kids hadn't seen me since I'd had my upgrade.

"Ratchet scared you too much. He should have told you I was fine." I said. Ratchet came back to the med-bay, shaking his head.

"You are still not fine. Mending, yes, but I doubt you have the strength to even stand, let alone walk or fight." Ratchet said, glancing down at the kids. "She fails to mention I almost lost her on that table." Ratchet said. The kids' eyes widened, and I would've nudged Ratchet if I'd been able to reach.

"Oh quit, you're freaking them out." I said. Of course, Miko was the first one to ask about my appearance.

"Hey Sam, you look different. Care to fill us in?" Miko asked with pleading eyes. I smiled.

"I'd love to." I said. Miko and Raf settled down on the floor while Jack stood behind them. I looked at each of them in turn before starting to tell the events that had transpired since they were absent.

…**...**

**Okaaay! 'nother chaptah done! I'm sorry for the bore, I have serious writers block for all of my stories. It was hard enough to come up with the prophecy, and I'm not even really sure what the dark upcoming event should be. For that, I'm open to ideas. Please review! Your opinions mean more to me than follows or favorites (though those are appreciated too! Lol) Aurrawings out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Next chapter...here we go. I have writer's block majorly though, PLEEEZ help!**

…**...**

~Sam's POV

I had been laid up for a few days, though I was itching to get up and around. My injury still pained me, but not as much to render me useless. I pulled myself into a sitting position when Ratchet came to check on me.

"Good morning Sam, it looks like you're feeling a bit stronger today..." Ratchet said idly while he checked my vitals and made me follow a light with my optics once again. Clicking it off, he gently felt around my abdomen, his touch running over the thick scar I would have for a long time to come. He stepped back, turning his back to me as he went to his terminal in the sick-bay.

"Well, Sam. Everyone has been anxious to see you up and about. Just don't strain yourself." Ratchet said. It took a moment to register, but then I swung my legs over the side of the table I had laid on for far too long.

"You really mean it?!" I said, a smile spreading on my face. Ratchet chuckled without looking at me.

"Yes, but as a medic's orders, stay in the base and do not overexert yourself." Ratchet said. I grinned wider, then grimaced briefly when I got to my feet. Unsteady, I remained still a moment before gaining my stability. I took a step over to Ratchet, laying my hand gratefully on his forearm.

"Thank you Ratchet, for saving my life." I said. Ratchet merely nodded, then turned away briskly. I walked out to the main hangar, greeted happily by those who were still there and not on recon at the moment.

"Hey Sam!" Smokescreen quipped when I walked in. Bee said something similar, and Bulkhead was wearing a relieved grin.

"Ratch says I'm good to go." I said. Ratchet called from the sick-bay when he heard me.

"Don't twist my words! You are free to roam the base but that is all." Ratchet said. Smokescreen nudged me.

"You wanna go for a walk?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Fine with me." I answered, walking next to him deeper into the base. As much as I hated to admit it, I was definitely slower than I had been before, and I apologized to Smokescreen.

"If I'm going too slow, I apologize..." I said. Smokescreen smiled.

"No problem, go at your own pace, I'm just here if you need me..." Smokescreen said. He paused then continued as we walked. "That was really brave of you, jumping in front of Optimus like that. I don't know if I could have done it..." he said.

"Sure you would've, for the same reasons I did. Number one it was instinct to protect anyone around me, secondly, I would not have let our leader die. As bad as it sounds, one Autobot lost would be a blow to us, but not as big a one as if Optimus himself were killed. With our leader gone, I think the Decepticons would slaughter us all." I said. Smokescreen nodded thoughtfully.

"Good point. I should probably say that I'm sorry for ripping that piece of metal out of you..." Smokescreen said uneasily. I chuckled.

"You're fine. Yes, it hurt like the Pit, but you were just doing what Ratchet ordered you. From what he's told me, you also helped keep me alive when he was working to repair me." I said with a friendly smile. Smokescreen rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah...Let's just say I'm glad I'm not a medic... I don't do so well around blood. No offense, but after the shock wore off and I noticed I was covered in your energon, I wanted to purge." Smokescreen said.

"Pfft. I don't blame you. The only reason stuff like that doesn't bother me is because my parents were both doctors and I was exposed to things like that at an early age. They trained me a bit in first aid, but then again, that was for humans..." I said.

"Lucky you." Smokescreen said, messing around absently with the relic he wore on his wrist.

"Hey Smokescreen, I've seen you wear that before, and heard the team talk about it, but what exactly is that and what does it do?" I asked. Smokescreen smiled.

"It's a phase shifter. As for what it does, well...hit me and find out." Smokescreen said.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to hit you." I said. Smokescreen laughed.

"Trust me, just do it." he said. I shrugged, drawing back. I threw a hard jab, expecting my fist to collide with Smokescreen's armor. Instead, I nearly lost my balance and fell when my hand passed right through him.

"Wow, cool." I said, passing my hand through him a few more times. Smokescreen grinned, then caught my gaze in his and looked away.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"No...I mean yes...I don't really know." Smokescreen said, shaking his head. "I'm just going to spit this out, please don't laugh at me." he said.

"I promise." I said. Smokescreen sighed.

"After you got hurt, when your Spark flat-lined, I realized something suddenly. I didn't want you to die because...because I didn't think I could live without you. I know I haven't been here even as long as you have, let alone the rest of Optimus' team, but...this is how I feel..." Smokescreen said, turning his head from me. I smiled, reaching over and making him look at me when I pulled on his chin.

"That's perfectly fine with me." I said. Smokescreen looked shocked.

"B-but I thought you liked Bumblebee?" Smokescreen said.

"We're close friends, yes, but that's why I think we wouldn't click together. As for you..." I said. Smokescreen started stuttering and I laughed.

"Smokescreen," I said.

"Yes?"

"Shut up." I finished, leaning forward and kissing him briefly.

…**...Awww, cute moment, and I had to pick someone to pair Sam off with so there you go. Hope you all enjoyed, but I have hit a MAJOR block in this story, I might stop writing it until I can think of how to continue. This is especially because I'm hoping to start a collaboration story with TimeLordBud soon. Aurrawings out! ^~^**


	11. Note (again)

** Hello everybody! Don't panic, I'm not quitting this story, I'm just asking for ideas again. You can either PM me or put it in a review. Remember the prophecy that Sam recited? Well...I wasn't sure what the big upcoming event would be... unless I have it to where Sam is present in the season finale and alters the outcome, but I don't like changing the actual events. If you have any ideas for me, I'd love to know. Also, with Smokescreen and Sam, its up to you guys how far I go with the relationship. I.E., sorta bf and gf, to a full relationship like I set up with Prowl and my OC Hayli in the trilogy I've written. Like I said, you can suggest how far I go. I tell myself that I don't write simply to please people, but it sure makes me happy when you guys are too! Like I said, review or PM! Thank you all for all the views/favorites/follows, it means a lot and gives me reason to write! Aurrawings out ^~^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry, I'm not really sure what to do with this story anymore. I also apologize at how short it is, I just can't rack my brain for many more ideas. (after you've written over 400 pages of fanfiction, your brain starts to fry a bit...)**

…**...**

~3rd Person POV

Aboard the _Nemesis_, Megatron stood gazing out the large front bay windows, addressing his follower behind him.

"Makeshift, I trust you are recovered after your repairs. I have an another assignment for you, though this time, complete it or don't bother coming back." Megatron said. The dark, almost shadow-like Decepticon behind him gave a single nod.

"Detain the first Autobot you find that has strayed from the ranks and leave them for me. Take their place so suspicions aren't raised. Maintain your cover, understood?" Megatron said. Makeshift nodded again.

"Yes, my liege."

…...

~Smokescreen's POV

I still couldn't believe that Sam was interested in me. The day she kissed me, I swear I thought my Spark was going to stop beating. Cliche, I know, but still.

A week or so later, just as I was going to find Sam, I nearly crashed into her. Startled, she laughed.

"I was just looking for you." we said at the same time, making her laugh again.

"You first." she said. I smiled.

"I wondered if you wanted to go for a drive..." I said, embarrassed. She smiled.

"I was going to say it was your turn for recon, and yes, I'll come with you." Sam said to me. I nodded, transforming. Sam did as well, and I had to say, since her upgrade from Alpha Trion, she probably had a better alt mode than all of us. She pulled forward.

"Aren't you coming?" she said. I snapped out of it and drove forward, driving next to her and taking the tunnel out of the base. We chatted for a while, running our scanners the entire time until we came to a 4-way intersection.

"You take right, I'll go left?" she asked me.

"Fine with me. Meet back here when?" I said.

"Fifteen minutes?" she said, waiting for confirmation.

"See you then." I answered, turning and driving down the road on the right. I looked back to see her driving in the opposite direction, the Nevada license plate on the rear of her alt mode glinting in the sun. I watched her until all I could see of her was a dark purple speck before I sped up and started scanning the area with all my focus.

About the time I was going to turn and head back, I registered something on my scanner an instant before I was blindsided. I slammed on my brakes as I spun out of control, and after making sure there were no humans around, I transformed, skidding to a stop. I equipped my blasters, my gaze darting back and forth as I tried to locate who my enemy was. Out of nowhere, A blinding blow struck me right between my door wings and I crumpled. I tried to rise, but a startlingly powerful jolt ran through me and my senses went offline.

…...

~Sam's POV

I shut down my scanner as I hit my brakes, turning around. I drove back to the intersection where Smokescreen and I had parted, trying to contact him.

"Hey Smoke, I'm heading back. See you soon?" I said, waiting for a response. I stopped and pulled over when he didn't respond, a bit concerned.

"Smokescreen?" I asked again. Without warning, my processor throbbed, the pain growing and signaling I was getting another vision. I'd never experienced one while I was in vehicle mode, but I just stayed parked to the side of the road. My vision seemed to zoom out, and rush about twelve miles in the opposite direction. I caught a flash of Smokescreen, and in my vision I called his name. Oddly, when he turned to me, his face was blurred and dark. With a snap, the vision ended and I shook it off.

It disturbed me at what I'd just seen, and also that Smokescreen wasn't answering me when I was calling him. I pulled back onto the road and slammed on the gas, my (I have say impressive) engine roaring as my speedometer climbed. The desert landscape flew by as I sped back to the intersection, panic rising. I slowed to a halt at the crossroads though, in relief, when I saw a familiar white race car in the distance, taking his sweet time getting back here.

Smokescreen stopped next to me and I bumped him very lightly before I turned on the road that led back to the base.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?" I asked. Smokescreen was silent a moment, though he pulled up next to me as we drove back.

"I tried, my commlink must be glitching." he answered. I scoffed.

"Yeah, or you were just ignoring me. You scared me, you big lug." I said. Smokescreen again was quiet before answering.

"I'm...sorry." he said.

"Well alright then, just don't do it again or I swear I'll hunt you down and duct tape Miko to you for a whole day." I said. That seemed like as horrible a punishment as any, Miko would love it, but pity the poor soul that was stuck to her. It would serve Smokescreen right for ignoring me...if he won't talk, he have to listen to someone who never shuts up. I smiled to myself at the thought.

…...

~Smokescreen's POV

I jolted back to consciousness what seemed like the next second, though I nearly let out a startled cry when I found Starscream's face a few inches from mine. Even so, I tried to jerk back and found my arms trapped in an electric current over my head. Starscream sneered as he stepped back.

"Well, it appears the prisoner is awake..." he said in his deceivingly gravelly voice. He wasn't fooling me, I knew how he could sound like a little femme when he was scared. I narrowed my optics.

"What have you done with Sam?!" I asked. Starscream smirked.

"Oh, don't worry. Your little psychic friend is fine. Soundwave, if you would..." he said, stepping aside to reveal the black and iridescent purple 'con behind him. I'd heard Soundwave was mute, and I now knew it to be true. The short video feed that he projected onto his face mask instantly melted my act though.

"No..." I breathed.

Driving next to Sam was a perfect replica of me.

…**...**

** Ha, I luv ending chapters with cliffhangers, it leaves my fans eager for more! Hope you enjoyed, and yes, I realize Makeshift got blown up, but I needed something to get the plot going again... Aurrawings out!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys! 'nother chapter done! I really apologize for how short they are, but I've been busy and my inspiration level is nearly on 'E'. Oh, just a side note, I make a reference to my tfa fanfic in this chapter, have fun with that! It won't probably make sense unless you read them...but oh well. Onward to Narnia! er...whatever. **

…**...**

~Sam's POV

I drove next to Smokescreen all the way back to the base, going into the tunnel that led to the main hangar. Smokescreen seemed to hesitate a moment, but then caught up with me. He seemed like he was acting oddly, and it unnerved me. I transformed, reporting my findings as I glanced back at Smokescreen. He said he'd found nothing unusual, and then walked off down the hallway. I shook my head, going to go see if the kids were at the base yet.

Right as I turned, a hand touched me on the shoulder and held me there. I turned back to see our newest member, Prowl, slip his hand from me.

"I need to talk to you, but not here. The top of the mesa would be good." Prowl said. I looked at him, confused, then followed.

"Where's Zachary? I haven't seen him around." I said. Prowl answered without looking at me.

"He decided it would be better if he found a living arrangement outside of the base. He has a house in Jasper now...but I don't like to be even that far from him." Prowl said.

"You guys have a history, huh?" I said, following him up to the lift that ran to the top of the mesa.

"You could say that. Like I said before, his friend and canine partner were killed in the line of fire. I guess I took him under my wing after that, he reminded me of me, I suppose." he answered.

"I used to love dogs...still do. It's really sad he lost two friends that quickly..." I said. Prowl's expression remained level, as it always seemed to.

"He was a jet black German shepherd, his name was Shadow. Zach's other friend was named Brandon." Prowl said. I nodded, staying silent as we both stepped onto the lift.

"So...where on earth did you find your alt mode? A Bugatti, really?" I asked. Prowl smirked.

"A high-roller drove by one day, and I took a fancy to his car. If you're going to do something, why not do it with style? My old friend Jazz used to say that..." Prowl said. I smiled, looking up towards the sun as we emerged at the top of the mesa. Prowl walked to the edge of the rock formation, motioning me to follow. He stopped suddenly, his expression serious as he turned to me.

"I need to ask you something. Have you had any visions about Smokescreen recently?" Prowl asked. I cocked my head, nodding uneasily.

"Yes, in fact. I had one not long before I met up with him again." I said. Prowl looked extremely interested.

"What, exactly, happened during it?" he asked.

"Uh...my vision panned out way far and then zoomed up to where Smokescreen was. He was in robot mode, and I called his name. When he turned though, his face was dark and blurry, as if..." I trailed off.

"As if he were missing his very identity?" Prowl said. I nodded, and Prowl frowned. "I feared as much. While I was meditating when you were gone, I picked up on something strange happening, but wasn't able to pinpoint what it was. When you and Smokescreen returned, however, Smokescreen didn't seem himself. Did you not notice this?' Prowl asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, he seemed a bit off, but I chalked it up to him being tired or distracted." I said. Prowl's frown deepened, and he continued.

"He aroused my suspicions enough that I tried to touch his consciousness and-" Prowl was saying when I cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can read minds?" I asked. Prowl seemed a little frustrated that I'd interrupted, but he answered regardless before going on.

"Yes, it's a part of my cyber-ninja training. Anyway, when I reached out, Smokescreen's mind was not his own." Prowl said. I frowned this time.

"As in...something's not right in his head?" I asked. Prowl shook his own helm.

"No...more like as in something's not right with his entire body. His mind not only wasn't right, it didn't even belong to Smokescreen. Meaning...there is an imposter in our ranks." Prowl said. My spark clenched and my fist tightened at my side.

"Have you told anyone else?" I asked. Prowl shook his head. "So...if there's an imposter, where's the real Smokescreen?" I asked. Prowl shrugged.

"I apologize. Your guess is as good as mine, but unfortunately, I would guess he is most likely aboard the Decepticon warship." Prowl said. I kept my expression level.

"I'm going to go find him." I said, immediately going to turn and head back down the lift.

"Sam, don't. It's suicide and you know it. The best we can do is keep an eye on the imposter, as soon as he slips up, it is our chance to strike. I will inform Optimus, but no one else will know." Prowl said. I sighed, nodding.

"That's probably for the best...but I'm worried about Smokescreen. Who knows what the 'Cons are doing to him..." I said. Prowl put a hand on my shoulder.

"I understand your concern." Prowl said. I shrugged away slightly, my tone sounding more bitter than I intended.

"What would you know. It's not like anything like this has ever happened to you..." I said. Prowl sighed.

"Unfortunately, it has." he said. I turned towards him, confused, and he elaborated briefly. "Her name was Hayli, and her situation was much like yours, in fact. She was just a teenage girl when a shard of the All spark turned her Cybertronian. She showed a knack for agility and the other components to being a cyber-ninja, so thus she trained as one. She was a hero...her status even gained her favor in the Elite Guard, of which she was an officer... But even that couldn't save her when Starscream kidnapped her. She was interrogated aboard the Decepticon warship by Airachnid, and it was nothing short of a miracle that she didn't go offline. She permanently lost her left optic, though, and she was changed after we got her back..." Prowl said, trailing off. I caught the tone in his voice as well.

"Wow...that's really sad..." I said, silent for a moment. "You loved her, didn't you?" I asked. Prowl smiled, looking back at me.

"Very much so, and vice versa. We were Spark mates for years, we both thought we were forever inseparable...but bots change." he said. It was my turn to feel sympathetic.

"Is she still online?" I asked. Prowl shrugged, shaking his head.

"As far as I know, she's still stationed on Cybertron...though most likely she's in stasis. Our planet is a barren wasteland after the war...only a few of us were deigned to remain and guard our cities, of which Hayli was one." Prowl said. I nodded.

"We should go back in before the others wonder where we are." I said. Prowl nodded in wordless agreement, and I headed back to the lift, thankful I'd gotten to learn a bit more about the newcomer.

…**...**

**Well, there you have the bit of allusion to my first fanfics. A note, the collab I'm doing with TimeLordBud has Hayli in it, if you'd want to read that, we plan on starting to write soon.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hai! I'm back! This story (and Black Ops) have kind of been shoved on the back burner of late, sorry for anyone who is hoping for quick updates...**

…**...**

~Smokescreen's POV

I hung dejectedly, giving no response to Starscream's various forms of interrogation. He shocked me with a prod, slashed me with his talons, but I was either too stubborn or too out of it to care. He glared at me, leaving after a while. A Vehicon took his place, standing guard, and I looked up. Nightmarish thoughts ran through my head of Sam being hurt or worse by the copy of me, and I whistled, getting the clone's attention.

"Hey, you, come here." I said. He hesitated, and I rolled my optics.

"What on earth are you waiting for? I'm a little tied up at the moment aren't I? Can you check and see for me if the gash under my door wing isn't too deep? It hurts like the Pit, and I'd prefer not to bleed out if at all possible." I said. The Vehicon sighed, walking over.

"What do you mean? It's barely even a scra-" he said before I stretched and wrapped my leg around him, shifting and kicking him hard into the control panel for the current suspending my arms. He crushed it and lay dazed, while I dropped to the floor. My injuries complained, but I worked the stiffness out of my arms and walked over to the 'Con. For some reason, they hadn't taken my phase shifter, and I made sure it worked before I made my escape. I leaned over the 'Con, a considerate look on my face.

"You know that thing when captives start to sympathize with and defend their captors? Well...I don't have it." I said, jumping and phasing through the wall as the door started to open. I ran down the hall, and soon a splitting alarm pierced the air. I skidded to a halt as a troop of soldiers blocked my escape, and the way behind me was closed as well. I closed my eyes, praying to Primus that my chances were on the lucky side, then phased through the side of the ship and into the open air...only to smack into the ground about two seconds later. I groaned, picking myself up from the desert floor, and looked up to see that the ship was landed on the ground. Lucky me. I got to my feet, staggering forward and breaking into a run. I phased into the side of a large rock formation, getting my bearings and hiding out from the 'Cons. I wasn't one to run from a fight, but I'd learned since I'd been with the Autobots when to quit, and this was one of those times.

I located the base from where I was, but thought better of it to drive there. I'd lead the 'Cons right to the base. Instead, I activated my commlink, hoping it would work. I got static and sighed in relief, then switched to Sam's personal frequency.

"Sam, it's Smokescreen, I could use an assist..." I said. There was silence a few moments, then Sam's voice answered from the other end.

"Smoke? How on earth did you escape?" she asked. I was confused, then realized she must be aware of the situation.

"You figured out it wasn't me?" I said.

"Of course I did. You never ignore me, and whoever the imposter is has been avoiding me. Don't worry, I'll have Ratch send you a bridge, and we'll handle the phony before you even get here." Sam said. I nodded in thanks, even though she couldn't see it, disconnecting and waiting for the sound of the ground bridge.

~Sam's POV

I spun as soon as Smokescreen (the real one) disconnected. I strode past Ratchet's lab, calling as I went.

"Smokescreen needs a ground bridge when I'm finished here." I said coldly without stopping. I heard Ratchet call back.

"What do you mean? He's right there in the hangar." I just shook my head, though he couldn't see it. Only I, Prowl, and Optimus knew of the intruder, and we'd done our part, subtly, to make sure he didn't find out pertinent information. I walked up to the imposter Smokescreen, grabbing one of his door wings and twisting. The stranger yelped and jumped away.

"What was that for?!" he asked. I equipped my blasters and swiped his feet out from under him, stepping on his chest so he couldn't rise. The others were standing open-mouthed, and Ratchet started for me before Optimus ordered him back. Prowl stood silently, a slight look of approval on his face.

"So, 'Smokescreen', where's your phase shifter?" I asked, looking at his bare wrist and loading my blaster. His optics widened, and he stuttered a quick reply.

"I-I left it off because we weren't going to fight. Why are you doing this?!" the imposter Smokescreen said. I glared, asking him another question.

"Alright then...if you are really Smokescreen...Of the two femmes in the base, which would you choose?" I asked. The phony's optics darted between me and Arcee.

"I-I don't know! Arcee?" he said. I narrowed my optics.

"Wrong answer, imposter." I said, leveling my blaster at his head and firing once before I stepped off of him. Everyone's shocked expressions grew before they realized it wasn't really Smokescreen. I de-equipped my blaster, the gravity of what I'd just done washing over me at once. Not only had I just killed someone, for the first time at that, I had shot a look-alike of my partner and close friend in the face... I stumbled back and tripped, though someone caught me. I looked around to see Ratchet, who helped me stand back up.

"Are you alright?" the CMO asked. I nodded, risking a glance back at the imposter. I shuddered, looking back away.

"I...That was the first time I've ever taken a life...and it was just as bad as if I'd really shot Smokescreen..." I said. Optimus shook his head.

"No, my friend. You did what must have been done. As much as I regret taking a life myself, he had discovered our base and could not be allowed to relay coordinates." Optimus reassured me. I sighed, not looking at the dead imposter but instead up at Optimus.

"Something should probably be done about him before Smokescreen is bridged back..." I said. Optimus nodded.

"Bulkhead, leave the body in the arctic, the snow and ice will conceal it in a short amount of time." Optimus said. Bulkhead nodded, walking over and picking up one arm of the imposter as Ratchet opened a ground bridge. He drug the offline 'Con through, returning, and Ratchet sent a different ground bridge to Smokescreen's coordinates. It seemed the reason we couldn't find him before was because wherever he was being kept was masking his signal.

I waited anxiously, and soon, my Smokescreen limped through the bridge. I ran to him, throwing my arms around him.

"Thank Primus you're alive!" I said. I pulled back, Smokescreen was smiling, but I noticed his optics were pinched in pain. I then saw that my limbs were streaked with his energon and I looked him up and down.

"Oh god..." I muttered. Smokescreen's face was unmarred, but beyond that he was a mess. Both his headlights were smashed, and from the slash wounds in his armor, I could guess who his torturer was. He had scorch marks as if he'd been shocked with a prod as well. On his back was probably the most painful injury to him. One of his door wing's window was smashed, and it hung twisted and limp at his back.

"Ratche-" I started to say before I was brushed aside.

"I know." Ratchet said, examining Smokescreen. He looked back at us. "He'll live, but I'm sure he's going to be sore for a while." he said, looking at Smokescreen. "My lab, now, rookie." he ordered. Smokescreen managed a weak smile at me, then went to the med-bay.

I sighed relieved. I didn't know what I'd do if he hadn't escaped...

…**...**

** Wow, this one was a bit longer than I planned, and I wrote it in two days! I'm constantly apologizing, but again I say that I'm sorry for the time it takes me to post, hopefully it will be better after this week when I don't have so much homework. Aurrawings out! ^~^**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello my readers! I'm sorry for taking so long, I've been busy writing for Crystal's story and didn't get time for this one. On many of your requests, this chapter will have a bit more romance in it (a lot) jus so you know. Oh...and the rating could be borderline M for this, you are warned. ** **I am sorry it is very short, I'm not feeling well as of late, but I wanted to post tonight.**

…**...**

~Sam's POV

I sighed through my intakes and then knocked on the doorframe to Smokescreen's quarters. The door itself slid open and Smokescreen smiled from the berth where he was reclining.

"Hey..." I said. Smokescreen got up, walking over to me.

"Hi, Sam. Did you need something?" he asked. I looked him in his optics, biting my lower lip, before I threw my arms around him and nearly crushed him in a hug. Smoke embraced me back, then pried me off of him and held me at arm's length.

"What was that for?" he asked, a smile on his face and his optics inviting. I gave a weak smile back.

"I...I understand completely now. What you said a few weeks ago when I almost went offline...now I understand." I said. Smokescreen nodded, and I continued, dropping my gaze to the floor.

"I thought you were dead, that I wouldn't see you again except for my visions, and...I couldn't stand the thought. I...I couldn't believe that I didn't hesitate to shoot someone that looked exactly like you..." I trailed off. Smokescreen took my chin in his hands, making me look at him.

"Hey, it'll be alright. I'm okay, you're okay, that's all that matters." Smokescreen said. I shifted my gaze away.

"Yeah, but..." I started. Smokescreen sighed.

"Sam?" he said.

"Yeah?" I replied, dragging my gaze back to his optics.

"Shut up." he said, using the same line I'd used on him before he leaned in and kissed me. I stiffened in surprise, though I relaxed quickly. Smokescreen may have been the rookie, and an arrogant pain-in-the-aft sometimes, but he cared. I know he cared, deeply, for me as well as the rest of the Autobots. I returned the kiss, my processor swirling with thoughts of regret, love, and apology.

Smokescreen kissed me again, this time not breaking away. I, for only a fleeting second, considered, but shoved all my fears aside and lost myself. He pulled me close to him, though he was making every move tentatively, as if asking my permission. I broke away for a second.

"I trust you." I said. Smokescreen's optics flashed in answer, and I kissed him this time. I felt him run his hands up my back and I relaxed entirely under his touch. Unexpectedly, when he brushed against the joint of one of my door wings, my frame was washed with pleasure and I vented deeply. Smokescreen smiled.

"Door wings; one of the most sensitive spots known to Cybertronians. Mine are the same way..." Smokescreen said quietly and with a smirk. I slid my hands around his back and massaged the base of his door wings as he kissed me again. I could tell what I was doing he liked, he was barely stifling a groan.

"I love you, Smokescreen." I said. He rested his forehead against mine.

"I love you too, Sam." Smokescreen tweaked one of my door wings before he spun me around and pressed me gently onto his berth.

…...

3rd person.

"Ratchet, have you seen Sam?" Prowl asked. Ratchet looked back at him. He'd seen Sam heading for Smokescreen's quarters a while ago, and still wasn't back. He could only assume things, but gave Prowl a slight fib.

"She and Smokescreen went out." Ratchet said. Prowl raised an optic ridge but refrained from replying.

…**...**

**Yeah, yeah, so I danced around it. GET OVER IT. I'm gonna try and go get rid of this fraggin' cold. Hope you liked, and I again apologize it was so short, I wrote it in a half hour.**


	16. Chapter 16

**IK this is a short chapter, I just have terrible writers block and I've been busy. Although, I got a new laptop and we're looking at getting more accessible internet, so MAYBE i'll have quicker updates.**

~Sam's POV

I snapped awake abruptly, finding myself stretched out between Smokescreen and the wall on his berth. I remembered how I had gotten there and smiled to myself, then I frowned when my mind wondered how long I'd been here. I kicked Smokescreen, and he opened his optics drowsily, pushing himself up.

"What's up?" he said. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Not that our relationship is a big secret to anyone...but would you mind phasing through like half the base? I can say I was looking for you and decided to...uh, wait for you until you came back, then I dozed off." I said. Smokescreen smiled, getting off the berth and helping me up too.

"Whatever you say." he said with a smirk as I tried to ignore the ache in my body and walk normally.

"Although, how are you going to explain the fact that you can barely walk and your paint is scuffed?" he said with a smile. I looked down at myself and scowled.

"Yeah, well..." I stuttered for a reply. "You look the same way!" I said. Smokescreen waved at me, then phased through the wall of his quarters, cutting off our 'discussion.'

Sighing, I braced myself and left his quarters.

…**...**

It was a surprise and concern later when the proximity alarm went off in the base. The green flashing lights and alarm alerted that there was a threat.

"Optimus, I'm picking up a very large quantity of Decepticon energy signatures about five miles from the base." Ratchet said from his terminal.

"Understood, bridge us out." Optimus said, turning to his team, me included. "Sam, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Prowl, come with me. I will call the rest of you if we need an assist." Optimus said. The ones selected to go affirmed, and Optimus turned to the ground bridge when it opened.

"Autobots, transform and roll out!"

I changed into my alt form and sped through the bridge after Optimus, noticing Smokescreen's worried expression in my rearview mirror before I came out on the other side. I got a sense of deja vu from the battle I had been injured in. There were Eradicons everywhere, and a couple unwelcome surprises met us on the other side.

Knockout sneered as he leaned against his electrical staff and Dreadwing armed his minigun when we transformed and armed our weapons.

"Well, this should be fun." Knockout said. Everything was tense, and I was standing between Prowl and Bee with my blasters armed.

"Stuff is about to hit the fan..." I muttered. When an Eradicon shifted slightly, the others took it as a cue to fire and we scattered before returning fire of our own. Bulkhead and Optimus charged Knockout and Dreadwing, and the other three of us tackled the Eradicons. Prowl hurled his shurikens into the masses and several cons fell or staggered with deep cuts from the blades. Bee and I were side by side as we fired continuously into the fray, but I saw we were being pushed back by sheer numbers.

Bee cried out in pain and slackened his fire momentarily when an enemy round or two clipped him in the shoulder. I kept firing, though made sure he was okay. Prowl yelled over at me.

"Sam! You need to protect me, I'm going to create a distraction but I'll be vulnerable while I do." Prowl called, hacking away at enemies with his weapons in his hands. I nodded, blasting the offenders away as Prowl backflipped and then backed up a few more paces before he held up one hand with two fingers pressed together and supported it with his other one.

I kept my word and eradicated whichever con tried to hurt Prowl, and whatever he was doing soon began to take affect. I saw about three or four Eradicons stop firing, clutch their helms, and then start firing into the midst of their comrades. This created quite a distraction, the Eradicons soon didn't know who to shoot at, and then it became a free for all as they all started firing at each other. Optimus and Bulkhead regrouped with us, and Optimus called Ratchet.

"Ratchet, bridge us back, there is nothing here of importance." Optimus said. A bridge soon opened up, and I once again made sure Bee was okay as he walked through clutching his shoulder. After I sent him to go see Ratchet, I caught up with Bulkhead.

"Hey, big guy. Did you find out what the bucketheads wanted?" I asked. Bulkhead looked at me, his expression surprisingly grave.

"Dreadwing alluded that they were after you." Bulkhead said. I felt my optics unconsciously widen and Bulkhead continued.

"Evidently that traitor that was in the base was relaying everything, including your abilities... The cons want you, more specifically Megatron." Bulk said. I locked my hands behind my head and paced a few times, trying to calm down.

"Okay...I can deal with that... How badly do they want me and why?" I asked him, though Optimus' voice from behind me answered.

"From what I gathered at the battle, Megatron is very highly interested in what Alpha Trion gifted you with, Sam. To him, your ability to see in the future particularly would give him an edge over us. For this reason, I'm afraid I have to confine you to base for your own safety." Optimus said. I nodded.

"I understand. Maybe I can help Ratchet or something." I said.

"No thanks." I heard him mumble from the med bay where he was tending to Bee.

One thing was for sure, more time in the base meant more time with Smokescreen...

…**...**

**OH noes! I'm running out of inspiration for this story...and I've still got Black Ops, Crystal's story, and Offspring to write, not to mention TimeLordBud and my collaboration (that I hope we will start soon) Hope you liked (ik it was boring) Aurrawings out! ^~^**


	17. Chapter 17

~Sam's POV

Being confined to the base got boring, fast, and I was having trouble keeping myself occupied. I did go and see Bee after Ratchet released him from the med bay, he had a scorch mark on his shoulder and it pained him still to move it, but otherwise he would be alright.

I had made up my mind that if I was going to be stuck at the base, I was going to try and do something productive other than hanging out with Smokescreen, though I honestly can say we were by ourselves more than once. I decided that whatever it took, I was going to learn how to control my power, and perhaps if I did I could give our side an advantage over the Decepticons. To do this, I enlisted the help of someone I knew was an expert when dealing with the mind, Prowl. I tried calling him over my commlink but I got no answer, and on a hunch, I took the lift to the top of the mesa. As I thought, he was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the cliff.

Strangely, he was sitting stock-still and a few small pebbles around him were drifting in the air, sort of lazily orbiting his still form. Curious, I took a few small steps forward.

"Prowl?" I said tentatively. He was silent for a few long moments, and I was just opening my mouth to call again when he answered me.

"Yes, Sam?" he said, obviously not breaking his focus in whatever he was doing.

"I was, uh, wondering if you could help me with something and…what are you doing?" I asked. The small rocks around him lowered to the ground and he turned around to me.

"What do you need? I was meditating if you were wondering." Prowl answered, getting to his feet and approaching me. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I was wondering…since I'm confined to base, if you could help me try and control my abilities I think it would grant us a big advantage. I thought if there was anyone that could find a way to control my mind it would be you." I said. Prowl smiled slightly.

"I'm glad to oblige, and you are wise to think about training yourself. When would you like to start?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Right now? That is, if you don't mind." Prowl shrugged, going near the edge of the cliff and folding his legs again. He motioned for me to sit in front of him and I complied, settling on the dust covered Nevada rock.

"To start with, have you made any connections at all with your visions and when they happen?" Prowl asked me. I shook my head.

"No, unfortunately, they've all seemed to happen randomly, except for the one when Smokescreen was captured." I said. "I had just commed him, and then I had the vision I told you about."

"That's okay, we can start with that. Did you put any conscious thought at all into having the vision?" Prowl questioned. I shook my head again.

"Not that I know of. I guess I noticed just now, a lot of times I'll have a vision when I'm under high stress, whether emotionally or physically…does that help?" I asked. Prowl looked like he was deep in thought for a few moments.

"Yes…that makes a connection; perhaps we can utilize it…" Prowl said. Without warning, he grabbed me and forced me half over the edge of the cliff. My gaze was thrown backward as I was looking upside down at the ground hundreds of feet below. I gasped involuntarily, my Spark thudding hard as I tried to scrabble back upwards. Silently, Prowl pushed me a bit further over the edge.

"Prowl! What the frag are you doing!?" I gasped. I felt a familiar pulse of pain in my processor and my vision shifted from the desert floor to suddenly at the top of the mesa with Prowl steadying me. My actual sight rushed back and once again I was staring at the desert floor. I felt Prowl take one of my arms and pull me back over the edge where I'd previously been, and I saw, with a great sense of déjà vu, the top of the mesa like I'd just seen in my short vision.

"Well, that answers that question. You're right that the visions come when you are under stress, I think I can work with this now. I might know of a way to rearrange the way your mind uses the gift. I can reroute the conscious part of your mind to control your gift rather than you reacting instinctively whenever you are put under some sort of stress. It wouldn't be a good thing if we had you freezing up in the middle of a battle, now would it?" Prowl said.

"Okay, how do you fix this then?" I asked, still sitting in front of him.

"I need your consent to do it, but I can enter your mind myself, much like I did with the Vehicons, but I can assure you I won't force you to do anything that is not your will." Prowl answered. I was excited and curious about finally controlling my powers, but then again, it was bad enough when Ratchet was going through my processor, and he wasn't even able to control me, he was simply sorting out my memories from my visions.

"I can see you're troubled…If you would like, I can ask Ratchet to put you in stasis if you need more assurance." Prowl said. I hesitated, then shook my head again.

"No, that's alright. I trust you, Prowl." I said. Prowl nodded.

"Alright then, try to clear your mind. I'll do what I can to be least intrusive as I can." Prowl said. I did my best not to think of anything in particular, and I saw the light behind Prowl's visor fade as if he'd closed his optics. After a few long moments, I noticed a faint throb in my processor and my vision swam. I tried to stay focused, but the discomfort became more than I could bear. Prowl withdrew from my mind when he sensed this.

"I'm sorry…" I said. Prowl shook his head.

"No, I should be the one to apologize. I'm not quite used to this delicate of a matter. I think it would be best if you were sedated, that is, if you still want to go through with this." Prowl said. I nodded.

"Definitely, I'm not giving up if you aren't." I said. Prowl gave a small nod, getting to his feet and helping me up as well and steadying me as we walked back to the lift that would take us back down into the base. I remained in a somewhat nervous silence as Prowl led me to the med bay where, as always, Ratchet was standing at a terminal and working on some project. He turned when Prowl walked in with me behind him.

"Prowl, Sam, what do you need? Are either of you injured?" Ratchet asked, equipping his scanner. Prowl shook his head.

"No, but we do require your assistance. Sam sought me out, thinking I could help her try and control the powers gifted to her by Alpha Trion. We did make a connection that she often has her visions while under high amounts of stress, and I think I can enter her mind myself and reroute that instinct to the conscious part of her mind." Prowl explained as I moved up to stand by him. Ratchet seemed very interested, and he questioned Prowl further.

"Did you test this theory? And why do you need my help then?" Ratchet asked. I exchanged a glance with Prowl, who looked sheepish.

"He almost pushed me over the cliff at the top of the mesa, in hindsight I knew he wouldn't have let me fall, but when he did I got a short vision of him letting me up and helping me back over the edge right before he actually did." I said. Ratchet seemed slightly bemused.

"I suppose that's one way to test a theory, but again, why do you need my help?" Ratchet asked.

"I tried entering Sam's mind, but it causes her quite a bit of discomfort. I suggested sedating her to make it easier for her. Sam agreed to it." Prowl said. Ratchet nodded in understanding, gesturing to a table in his lab before going to gather a few things. Prowl helped me lie down before he settled cross legged on a table across from me. I stared up at the ceiling as Ratchet connected a line to the side of my chest and returned to his terminal.

"Inducing stasis now." Ratchet said, pulling a lever. I heard a low hiss and I started to get drowsy, though before I conked out I heard Prowl's voice.

"Don't worry Sam, I'll do my best to sort this out." Prowl said. I managed a weak thumbs-up before I let my optics close and I surrendered to the pull of stasis.

…..

"Sam…we're done here." I dimly heard Prowl's voice and a light touch shaking my shoulder. I opened my optics and sat up, shaking a dull ache out of my head.

"So, do you think it worked?" I asked. Prowl nodded.

"I am hopeful. You should try it out. Try focusing on one of the members of the team, say, Smokescreen." Prowl said. I nodded, thinking about my sparkmate, and suddenly my vision rushed through the base and halted on him walking our way before it rushed back and I returned to my senses.

"Oh my god, I think I can control it now! Smokescreen is coming our way and will walk through that door in…10 seconds maybe?" I said. Ratchet and Prowl looked at the door I specified, and as I thought, Smoke walked in right when I said. Ratchet exchanged an elated grin with Prowl, and I thanked the newest member before running over to Smokescreen and nearly bowling him over in my excitement.

"Whoa there, what's the fuss about?" Smokescreen asked.

"My powers, Prowl helped me control them, this is so awesome!" I said, hugging him tightly and nearly throwing him off balance.

Things were definitely taking a turn for the better, or so I thought.

…**..**

**Okay, who else is happy Sam learned to control her erratic abilities? Or that I gave Prowl a big part in it? Anyone? As with Black Ops, I am somewhat reluctant to say that the end is in sight for this fanfiction as well. Don't freak out, there could be a possible sequel to this, but I'm not certain at this point. I've also got Crystal's story to write and the continuation of my trilogy with Hayli, so no worries! Aurrawings out! ^~^**


End file.
